Dr.  Edward  S.  Ninde, 
Obituary 

AFTER  months  of  illness,  climaxmK  "< 
helpless   invalidism,    Dr.    Edward    S. 
N'imle    died    at    Clifton    Spring*.    X.    V  . 
.August  15,  and  was  buried  in  Detroit,  Dr. 
Frank   D.  Gamewell  officiating. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Gamewell  had  cared  for 
him  through  the  long  illness;  no  sister's 
care  was  ever  more  lovely  and  constant 
and  Mrs.  Gamewell  herself  is  ill  from  the 
long  vigil.  Dr.  Ninde  never  married. 

Dr.  Ninde  was  born  January  1,  1866,  at 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  the  son  of  Bishop  an«l 
Mrs.  William  Xavier  Ninde. 

He  was  ordained  in  1891,  at  the  session 
of  Detroit  Conference,  in  the  same  cla^s 
with  W.  E.  Marvin  and  Reuben  Crosby. 
He  was  appointed  to  Bay  Port.  He  served 
as  pastor  at  Wyandotte,  Birmingham,  De- 
troit (Tabernacle),  and  Ann  Arbor.  He 
then  transferred  to  Providence,  R.  I.,  serv- 
ing also  Germantown  and  Westchester  in 
Pennsylvania. 

A  sister,  Mrs.  Frank  D.  Gamewell,  of 
Philadelphia,  wife  of  Dr.  Gamewell,  a 
former  Methodist  Episcopal  missionary, 
and  a  brother,  Frederick  W.  Ninde,  M.D., 
"f  New  York,  survive. 

Dr.  Ninde  was  a  delegate  to  the  General 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  1904,  1912,  1916.  and  1924,  and 
for  twelve  years  he  was  a  faithful  and 
valued  member  of  the  Executive  Commit- 
tee of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions. 

Michigan  has  always  claimed  Dr.  Ninde 
as  one  of  her  own  sons  and  he  in  turn 
always  loved  Michigan. 

Some  months  ago,  Dr.  G.  Bickley  Burns 
wrote  a  tribute  to  his  friend  whose  death 
was  daily  expected.     But  death   took   Dr. 
Burns  first  while  Dr.  Ninde  lived  on. 
Dr.  Burns'  Tribute 

Ralph  Waldo  Emerson  on  leaving  the 
casket  of  Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow, 
said  "He  was  a  beautiful  soul."  Truly 
this  may  be  said  of  Edward  S.  Ninde. 
Verily  he  was  a  Sir  Galahad.  Purity  and 
wqrthfulness  characterized  him. 

"His   life  was  gentle   and   the   ele- 
ments 
So  mixed  in  him  that  nature  might 

stand  up 

And  say  to  all  the  world,  This  wa* 
a  Man." 

The  roots  of  heredity,  his  environment 
from  earliest  life  tended  to  create  a  char- 
acter beautifully  Christian.  He  adorned 
the  doctrine  of  God.  He  was  Christ's 
Knight.  Highly  gifted,  he  was  character- 
ized by  self-effacement.  He  was  no  Dio- 
trephes.  Tennyson's  choicest  couplet  was 
verified  in  him. 


took  up  the  harp  of  life  and 
smote  on  all  the  chords  with 
might, 

Smote  the  chord  of  self,  that. 
trembling  passed  in  music  out 
of 


Humbly  and  graciously  did  he  move 
among  the  brethren,  but  also  as  a  Master 
Workman  in  our  Methodist  Israel. 

The  secretary  of  a  departed  bishop  said 
of  his  chief :  "His  spirit  reminds  me  more, 
of  Jesus  Christ  than  any  man  I  ever  met." 
So  the  spirit  of  our  friend  in  bearing  life's 
curtailments,  its  "unkindest  cuts,"  ever 
reminded  us  of  the  Master. 

In  his  scholarly  book  on  "George  White- 
field  -  Pastor  -  Preacher,"  he  quotes  from 
one  of  Whitefield's  letters:  "I  have  put 
my  soul  as  a  blank  into  the  hands  of 
Jesus  Christ  my  Redeemer  and  desired 
Him  to  write  upon  it  what  He  pleases,  I 
know  it  will  be  His  own  image."  Through 
his  ministry  friends  noted  not  only  the 
"momentary  likeness  of  the  King"  on  .his 
radiant  face  but  also  the  writing  of  Jesus. 
If  Coleridge  is  right  in  saying,  "Religion 
is  calculated  to  make  a  gentleman,"  Dr. 
Ninde,  by  this  standard,  was  imbued  with 
religion.  Who  that  knew  him  can  forget 
his  resonant- voice,  luring  smile,  unassum- 
ing attitudes,  and  courtly  bearing! 

He  gave  "attention  to  reading."  His 
soul  was  ever  awake.  He  was  a  student. 
Music  moved  his  spirit.  The  promethean 
fires  moved  through  his  "Story  of  the 
American  Hymn." 

As  a  preacher  he  sought  heaven  ap- 
proved values.  He  never  entered  the  pul- 
pit unprepared.  He  fed  "the  flock  of 
Christ."  His  life  of  unimpeachable  recti- 
tude, as  well  as  wrought  thought,  clothed 
in  choice  language,  -constituted  his  ser- 
mons. 

I  ,  The  romance  of  life  was  ever  with  him. 
He  had  zest  for  the  tomorrows— his  philos- 
ophy of  living  was  eminently  Christian — 
his  touch  with  God  was  contagious.  This 
gentle  spirit  moved  among  his  people  and 
Conference  circles  "creating  those  smiles 
which  have  no  sting." 

The    prayer    of    Whitefield    which     he 
quotes  "Lord  Jesus,  make  us  great  profi- 
cients in   the   school  of  Thy  Cross"  was 
i  answered  in  Dr.  Ninde. 

He  faced  the  inevitable  unafraid.  As 
"the  gray  gull  lifts  wings  against  the  night- 
fall and  takes  the  dim  leagues  with  a  fear- 
less eye" — so  our  friend  entered  the 
Heavenlies  to  render  his  report  to  the 
t  Bishop  of  his  Soul.  "Mark  the  perfect 
man  and  behold  the  upright  for  the  end 
of  that  man  is  peace." 


DR.  NINDE 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 
GEORGE  WHITEFIELD:  PROPHET-PREACHER 


WHOLE    '•$'• 

«&  BOOKEQFPSALMfiS    eJ 

%(*"  74/tf/«^>  *«• 

TRANSLATED   mr*    ENGLISH          f  -^ 
«fe  UW«rf. 

wC4^  -**lj* 

Whcreunto  is  prefixed  a  difcourfc  de-      -^' 

,  7^  daring  not  only  the  lawfullnes,  butalfo?j  J2 

^(w  the  ncccffity  of  the  heavenly  Ordinance  ^j^ 

of  fiogiog  scripture  Plalmcs  in  r  J^  ' 

.  *k  the  Churches  ot  (irs 


Lrtt1ie'»ordofGodd*>eiflentt**f!ji* 
jtMttn*llmf(i»mt,  teaching  tndtxhort-    - 
'.*".»  i««r  <»»r  another  in  Vfitlmer,  Htmntit  and 
~J  girttnMJl^»mi»intethe  Lordmtb 

^   »  "->  /4W«   V. 

//"4«7  Ie*ff1ictedtltt  hi 


«s« 


-*  . 

TITUS- PAGE  OF  THE  BAY  PSALM  BOOK  OF 


The  Story  of  the 
American  Hymn 


BY 

EDWARD  S.  NINDE 


THE  ABINGDON  PRESS 

NEW  YORK  CINCINNATI 


Copyright,  1921,  by 
EDWARD  S.  NINDE 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


First  Edition  Printed  December,  1921 
Reprinted  October,  1926 


TO  MY  SISTER 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 


PAGE 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 11 

PREFACE 13 

I.    THE  BAY  PSALM  BOOK 15 

II.    THE  "ACCOMMODATED"  PSALM  BOOKS.  ...  29 

III.  PIONEER  HYMN  WRITERS 41 

IV.  HYMNS  ON  DEATH  AND  PERDITION 60 

V.    THE  OLD-TIME  SINGING 73 

VI.    THE  KIST   o'   WHISTLES  AND   ITS  COM- 
PANIONS    94 

VII.    SOME  EARLY  HYMN  BOOKS 105 

VIII.    LELAND,  HOLDEN,  KEY,  PIERPONT 128 

IX.    TAPPAN,   G.  W.  DOANE,  SEARS,  WATER- 
BURY  143 

X.    HASTINGS,  MUHLENBERG 159 

XI.    MRS.  BROWN,  MRS.  HYDE 177 

XII.    BRYANT,  HOLMES 188 

XIII.  BACON,  DUFFIELD,  BETHUNE 209 

XIV.  WHITTIER 227 

XV.    MRS.  STOWE,  MRS.  HOWE 243 

XVI.    PALMER,  SMITH 262 

XVII.    FURNESS,  WARE,  BURLEIGH,  BULFINCH  . . .  286 
XVIII.    MRS.  ESLING,  ALICE  GARY,  PHOSBE  GARY, 
Miss  WARNER,  Miss  LATHBURY,  MRS. 

MILLER 298 

XIX.    COXE,  BROOKS,  W.  C.  DOANE 318 

XX.    LONGFELLOW,  JOHNSON 335 

XXI.    FANNY  CROSBY,  MRS.  PRENTISS 344 

XXII.  HUNTER,  EVEREST,  WOLCOTT,  MARCH, 
PHELPS,  HOPPER,  MRS.  SLADE,  MRS. 
THOMSON,  GILMORE,  GLADDEN,  BAB- 
COCK,  SHURTLEFF 359 

XXIII.  HOSMER,    NORTH,   VAN    DYKE,    BENSON, 

STRYKER,  COPELAND 379 

XXIV.  SOME  GOSPEL  SINGERS  AND  THEIR  SONGS  393 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATE  I 

TITLE-PAGE    OF   THE    BAY    PSALM    BOOK    OF 

1640 Frontispiece 

Photographed  from  a  copy  in  the  New  York  Public 
Library. 

PLATE  II                  FACING  PAGE 
JOEL  BARLOW 29 

From  the  portrait  by  Robert  Fulton. 

TIMOTHY  DWIGHT  29 

From  an  engraving  made  in  1816. 
PLATE  in 

SAMUEL  DA  VIES 41 

From  a  portrait  painted  in  1760,  hi  Nassau  Hall, 
Princeton  University. 

PLATE   IV 

MATHER  BYLES 50 

From  a  red-chalk  drawing  in  the  cabinet  of  the  Anti- 
quarian Society  at  Worcester,  reproduced  in  Justin 
Winsor's  Narrative  and  Critical  History  of  America. 

PLATE   V 

SAMSON  OCCOM 55 

From  an  early  engraving. 

NATHAN  STRONG 55 

From  an  early  engraving  in  the  collection  of  the 
Presbyterian  Historical  Society. 

PLATE  VI 

OLIVER  HOLD  EN 128 

FRANCIS  SCOTT  KEY 128 

JOHN  PIERPONT 128 

PLATE  VII 

WILLIAM  BINGHAM  TAPPAN 143 

From  the  portrait  by  Neagle. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  DOANE 143 

EDMUND  HAMILTON  SEARS   143 

From  an  engraving  furnished  by  Mr.  Horace  S.  Sears. 
7 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATE  VIII  FACING  PAGE 

THOMAS  HASTINGS 159 

WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG 159 

From  an  engraving  made  in  1870. 
PLATE  IX 

PHCEBE  HINSDALE  BROWN 177 

From  a  wood-cut  made  about  1846. 
PLATE  X 

WILLIAM  CULLEN  BRYANT 188 

OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES 188 

PLATE  XI 

LEONARD  BACON 209 

GEORGE  DUFFIELD,  JR 209 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  BETHUNE 209 

PLATE  XII 
JOHN  GREENLEAF  WHITTIER 227 

PLATE  XIII 
HARRIET  BEECHER  STOWE 243 

From  the  portrait  by  Chappel. 

JULIA  WARD  HOWE 243 

From  a  photograph  taken  about  1861. 

PLATE  XIV 

RAY  PALMER 262 

SAMUEL  FRANCIS  SMITH 262 

PLATE   XV 

FACSIMILE  OF    THE    FIRST   Two  STANZAS  OF 
"MY  FAITH  LOOKS  UP  TO  THEE"   266 

As  they  are  still  preserved  in  the  pocket  memorandum- 
book  in  which  they  were  originally  written  in  1830. 

PLATE  XVI 

WILLIAM  HENRY  FURNESS 286 

HENRY  WARE,  JR 286 

WILLIAM  HENRY  BURLEIGH  286 

8 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATE  XVII  FACING  PAGE 

ALICE  CARY 298 

PHOEBE  GARY '. . . . .  298 

ANNA  BARTLETT  WARNER 298 

MARY  ARTEMISIA  LATHBURY  298 

EMILY  HUNTINGTON  MILLER 298 

PLATE  XVIII 

ARTHUR  CLEVELAND  COXE 318 

PHILLIPS  BROOKS 318 

PLATE  XLX 

SAMUEL  LONGFELLOW 335 

SAMUEL  JOHNSON 335 

PLATE  xx 

FANNY  J.  CROSBY 344 

ELIZABETH  PAYSON  PRENTISS 344 

PLATE  XXI 
JOSEPH  HENRY  GILMORE 359 

From  a  late  photograph. 

WASHINGTON  GLADDEN 359 

MALTBIE  DAVENPORT  BABCOCK 359 

From  a  photogravure  in  Footsteps  in  a  Parish,  pub- 
lished by  Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 

PLATE  XXII 

FREDERICK  LUCIAN  HOSMER 379 

FRANK  MASON  NORTH 379 

HENRY  VAN  DYKE 379 

LOUIS  FITZGERALD  BENSON 379 

PLATE  XXIII 

PHILIP  PAUL  BLISS 393 

ROBERT  LOWRY 393 

ELLEN  HUNTINGTON  GATES  .  .  393 


9 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

COPYRIGHT  material  in  this  book  is  used  by  per- 
mission of,  and  by  special  arrangements  with, 
publishers  and  authors  as  follows,  and  grateful 
acknowledgment  is  made  of  the  courtesies  granted: 

Houghton  Mifflin  Company — Poems  by  Whittier, 
Holmes,  Mrs.  Stowe,  Alice  and  Phoebe  Cary,  Samuel 
Longfellow,  Burleigh,  Furness,  and  selections  from 
Mrs.  Howe's  Reminiscences. 

Charles  Scribner's  Sons — Poems  by  Babcock. 

E.  P.  Dutton  &  Co.— Poems  by  Brooks. 

D.  Appleton  &  Co. — Poems  by  Bryant. 

The  Century  Company — Hymn  by  Gladden. 

The  Biglow  &  Mam  Co. — Hymn  by  Gilmore. 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company — Selections  from 
Jackson's  Fanny  Crosby's  Story  of  Ninety-four  Years; 
and  engravings  of  Fanny  Crosby,  P.  P.  Bliss,  and 
Robert  Lowry,  from  Hall's  Biography  of  Gospel  Song 
and  Hymn  Writers. 

The  Nunc  Licet  Press — Hymns  by  Miss  Lathbury. 

Mrs.  Robert  Lowry — Hymn  by  Dr.  Lowry. 

Rev.  Dr.  Louis  F.  Benson — Hymn;  also  newly 
found  verse  by  Francis  Scott  Key,  in  Benson's 
Studies  of  Familiar  Hymns. 

Rev.  Dr.  Henry  van  Dyke — Poem  from  Collected 
Poems,  copyrighted  by  Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New 
York. 

Rev.  Dr.  F.  L.  Hosmer — Hymns. 

Rev.  Dr.  M.  W.  Strykei^Hymn. 

11 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

American  Tract  Society — Engravings  of  Holden, 
Hastings,  and  Mrs.  Gates,  from  The  Story  of  the 
Hymns  and  Tunes. 

Also  cordial  thanks  are  extended  to  the  Rev. 
Roger  S.  Forbes,  D.D.,  for  an  engraving  of  Samuel 
Johnson;  to  Mr.  J.  H.  Gilmore,  for  an  approved 
photograph  of  Dr.  Gilmore;  and  to  Mr.  Horace  S. 
Sears,  for  an  engraving  of  Dr.  Sears. 


PREFACE 

THE  following  narrative  covers  a  period  of 
three  centuries,  from  the  coming  of  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers  to  these  western  shores  down  to  our  own 
times.  It  is  scarcely  more  than  a  hundred  years 
since  hymn-writing  in  earnest  began  in  America. 
In  early  colonial  days  the  Psalms  were  used  ex- 
clusively in  religious  song,  and  when  hymns  were 
introduced  they  were  nearly  all  from  the  pen  of 
Isaac  Watts.  But  American  hymnody  cannot  be 
understood  without  reference  to  the  long  period 
of  psalmody  which  preceded  it.  The  one  has  its 
roots  in  the  other. 

This  story  of  the  American  hymn,  therefore, 
goes  back  to  the  beginning,  to  the  Bay  Psalm 
Book,  which,  during  its  remarkable  career,  ex- 
erted such  a  profound  influence  on  New  England 
worship,  and  then  to  the  later  Psalm  Books,  "ac- 
commodated" to  American  needs.  It  traces  the 
gradual  movement  toward  the  use  of  hymns  and 
describes  the  pioneer  efforts  in  hymn-writing. 
From  this  point,  our  American  hymn  authors  and 
their  works  are  taken  up  individually,  following 
the  chronological  order.  Thus  an  attempt  is 
made  in  a  series  of  connected  pictures  to  give  a 
general  view  of  the  American  hymn  in  the  vari- 
ous stages  of  its  development. 

13 


PREFACE 

The  list  of  writers  is  not  exhaustive,  but  it  is 
believed  that  no  composer  of  hymns  of  a  standard 
type  in  general  use  at  the  present  time  has  been 
omitted.  The  biographical  sketches  are  de- 
signedly fragmentary,  and  are  pursued  only  so 
far  as  to  provide  a  suitable  background  for  the 
study  of  the  hymns,  and  to  furnish  such  informa- 
tion as  will  aid  in  their  understanding. 

I  am  deeply  grateful  for  many  courtesies  re- 
ceived from  the  custodians  of  the  Public  Libra- 
ries in  Boston  and  New  York,  of  the  Harvard  and 
Andover  Libraries,  of  the  Library  of  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary,  and  of  various  Philadel- 
phia Libraries,  especially  that  of  the  Presbyterian 
Historical  Society.  I  have  been  given  access  to 
priceless  hymnological  collections  with  unstinted 
generosity.  I  would  also  express  my  peculiar 
indebtedness  to  that  monumental  work,  The 
English  Hymn,  by  Dr.  Louis  F.  Benson,  for  in- 
spiration as  well  as  information. 

EDWARD  S.  NINDE. 
Germantown,  Philadelphia. 


CHAPTER  I 
THE  BAY  PSALM  BOOK 

"BEING  thus  .  .  .  brought  safe  to  land;  they  fell 
upon  their  knees  and  blessed  the  GOD  of  heaven, 
who  had  brought  them  over  the  vast  and  furious 
ocean,  and  delivered  them  from  all  the  perils  and 
miseries  thereof." 

Thus  wrote  Governor  Bradford,  in  telling  the 
story  of  how  he  and  his  fellow  pilgrims  in  the 
Mayflower  found  a  refuge  on  these  western 
shores.  The  little  book  of  devotion  which  they 
brought  with  them  to  their  new  home,  and  from 
which  they  sang  praises  to  "the  God  of  heaven" 
during  the  long  and  stormy  voyage,  bore  the 
title:  "The  Booke  of  Psalms:  Englished  both  in 
Prose  and  Metre."  It  had  been  published  at 
Amsterdam  in  1612,  by  Henry  Ainsworth,  an 
English  clergyman  who  had  separated  from  the 
Church  of  England,  and  who  for  a  number  of 
years  had  been  living  in  exile.  Most  of  the  com- 
pany that  came  over  in  the  Mayflower  were  like- 
wise Separatists  who  had  fled  to  Holland  for 
safety,  and  naturally  they  brought  with  them  the 
Psalms  which  had  been  prepared  by  their  fellow 
exile. 

They  held  this  small  book  in  tender  affection 
15 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

and  were  loath  to  exchange  it  for  a  new  version. 
In  Plymouth,  where  it  was  first  used,  it  was 
retained  for  more  than  two  generations.  Among 
the  village  maidens  doubtless  there  was  more 
than  one  Priscilla  whom  a  John  Alden  might 
have  found  in  meditation  while  "Open  wide  on 
her  lap  lay  the  well-worn  psalm-book  of  Ains- 
worth." 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Puritans  who  crossed 
in  the  great  migration  of  1630,  and  founded  Bos- 
ton, came  direct  from  England.  While  they  de- 
plored the  corruptions  of  the  Established  Church, 
they  hoped  for  reform  from  within,  and  had  con- 
tinued their  membership  in  the  historic  fold,  look- 
ing askance  upon  the  Separatists.  They  brought 
with  them  the  version  of  the  Psalms  by  Stern- 
hold  and  Hopkins.  This  version  had  been  in 
general  use  in  the  homeland  for  many  years  and 
continued  to  be  for  years  to  come,  yet  at  no  time 
did  it  give  anything  like  complete  satisfaction. 
The  metrical  renderings  were  in  many  cases  ut- 
terly wretched.  Samuel  Wesley,  father  of  John, 
referred  to  them  in  disgust  as  "scandalous  dog- 
gerel." But  what  gave  particular  offense  to  the 
stricter  Puritans  was  the  fact  that  the  transla- 
tion from  the  Hebrew  was  so  free  and  easy  that 
in  some  cases  it  was  regarded  as  a  positive  mis- 
representation of  the  sacred  writers.  There  were 
those  who  caustically  referred  to  this  current 

16 


THE  BAY  PSALM  BOOK 

version  as  "Hopkins  his  Jigges."  The  dissatis- 
faction was  especially  pronounced  among  the 
Puritans  who  came  to  New  England,  and  it  was 
soon  determined  to  prepare  an  entirely  new 
Psalm  Book  whose  chief  merit  should  be  its  close 
adherence  to  the  Hebrew  original. 

The  work  began  about  1636,  and  there  was  no 
lack  of  scholars  to  undertake  the  task.  Nothing 
could  better  illustrate  the  high  standard  of  intel- 
ligence in  that  company  of  early  Puritans  than 
the  fact  that  already  among  them  were  thirty 
clergymen,  all  of  them  "pious  and  learned  minis- 
ters," university-trained  and  able  to  handle  the 
Scriptures  in  the  original  tongues.  A  portion  of 
the  work  was  supposed  to  be  assigned  to  each  of 
the  thirty,  but  the  bulk  of  it  seems  to  have  been 
committed  to  those  three  worthy  scholars:  Rich- 
ard Mather,  minister  of  the  Church  of  Dorches- 
ter; Thomas  Welde,  and  John  Eliot,  associate 
ministers  of  the  church  in  Roxbury,  Eliot  after- 
ward becoming  known  to  fame  as  apostle  to  the 
Indians. 

In  the  meantime,  while  the  work  was  in  prog- 
ress, a  printing  press,  or  "printery,"  as  it  was 
called,  was  brought  over  from  England  and  set 
up  in  the  house  of  President  Dunster,  head  of  the 
recently  founded  Harvard  College.  This  was  at 
the  time  that  Governor  Berkeley,  of  Virginia, 
fearful  lest  learning  might  breed  all  manner  of 

17 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

heresies,  was  exclaiming,  "Thank  God!  there  are 
no  free  schools  nor  printing  presses  [in  Vir- 
ginia], and  I  hope  there  will  be  none  for  one 
hundred  years." 

On  the  other  hand,  the  New  England  colonists 
were  very  glad  when  they  learned  that  their 
worthy  friend,  Joseph  Glover,  a  dissenting  clergy- 
man in  England,  possessing  considerable  means, 
had  contributed  of  his  own  funds  and  had  gath- 
ered enough  from  others  to  purchase  a  press  and 
type ;  that  he  had  engaged  an  experienced  printer, 
Stephen  Daye,  and  that  the  Glover  and  Daye 
families,  accompanied  by  three  men  helpers,  had 
embarked  for  Boston.  But  the  old  chronicle 
adds  the  sad  item  that  Mr.  Glover  fell  ill  "of  a 
feaver"  and  "died  on  the  sea  hitherward."  How- 
ever, in  due  course  of  time,  President  Dunster 
married  the  widow  and  received  her  and  the 
printery  into  his  own  home.  Here  it  was  that  the 
Bay  Psalm  Book  was  printed  in  1640,  a  year 
memorable  in  our  colonial  history  as  witnessing 
the  appearance  of  the  first  book  printed  in  Brit- 
ish America,  and  also  as  marking  the  birth  of 
American  psalmody. 

An  edition  of  seventeen  hundred  copies  was 
issued,  a  large  number  considering  the  slim  popu- 
lation of  those  days,  and  showing  the  perfect 
faith  that  was  felt  in  the  undertaking.  The  rec- 
ords tell  us  that  the  cost  of  the  paper  was  £29, 

18 


THE  BAY  PSALM  BOOK 

and  of  the  typesetting  and  printing,  £33.  The 
book  sold  for  twenty  pence,  and  the  total  receipts 
were  a  little  over  £141,  leaving  a  handsome 
profit.  It  should  be  remembered  that  money 
then  was  worth  several  times  what  it  is  now.  It 
is  interesting  to  know  that  the  printer  was  liber- 
ally rewarded,  as  we  learn  from  this  item:  "Att 
a  General  Court  held  at  Boston  on  the  eighth 
day  of  the  eighth  moneth  1641,  Steeven  Daye 
being  the  first  that  sett  upon  printing,  is 
graunted  three  hundred  acres  of  land,  where  it 
may  be  convenient  without  prejudice  to  any 
town." 

One  of  the  most  interesting  parts  of  this 
book  is  the  preface,  written  by  Richard  Mather, 
and  no  doubt  expressing  the  convictions  of  the 
other  ministers.  He  takes  up  the  various  ques- 
tions then  being  discussed: 

"First,  what  psalmes  are  to  be  sung  in 
Churches?  whether  David's  and  other  scripture 
psalmes,  or  the  psalmes  invented  by  the  gifts  of 
godly  men  in  every  age  of  the  church.  Secondly, 
if  scripture  psalmes,  whether  in  their  owne  words, 
or  in  such  meter  as  english  poetry  is  wont  to 
run  in?  Thirdly  by  whom  are  they  to  be  sung? 
whether  by  the  whole  churches  together  with  their 
voices?  or  by  one  man  singing  alone  and  the 
rest  joyning  in  silence  and  in  the  close  saying 
amen."  These  questions  were  under  vigorous 

19 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

debate  in  the  colony,  and  there  were  sharp  differ- 
ences of  belief.  But  Richard  Mather  contended, 
and  his  views  were  generally  accepted,  that 
David's  Psalms,  in  English  form,  should  be  sung, 
and  by  all  the  people.  In  a  subsequent  chapter 
we  shall  have  occasion  to  refer  again  to  this  very 
live  controversy. 

Of  the  poetical  qualities  of  the  Bay  Psalm 
Book,  one  is  loath  to  speak.  Excepting  half  a 
dozen  Psalms  rendered  into  English  verse  by 
Francis  Quarles,  the  poet,  and  sent  over  from 
England,  all  the  work  was  done  on  this  side. 
Of  the  piety  of  the  Puritan  translators  there  can 
be  no  question.  They  were  likewise  men  of  edu- 
cation— Cambridge  graduates.  But  poets  they 
were  not.  Moreover,  the  very  purpose  in  view 
was  to  produce  a  version  which  should  follow  as 
closely  as  possible  the  Hebrew  original.  The 
Preface  concludes  thus:  "If  therefore  the  verses 
are  not  always  so  smooth  and  elegant  as  some 
may  desire  or  expect;  let  them  consider  that 
God's  Altar  needs  not  our  pollishings:  Ex.  20. 
for  wee  have  respected  rather  a  plaine  transla- 
tion, than  to  smooth  our  verses  with  the  sweet- 
ness of  any  paraphrase,  and  soe  have  attended 
Conscience  rather  than  Elegance,  fidelity  rather 
than  poetry,  in  translating  the  hebrew  words  into 
english  language,  and  David's  poetry  into  english 
meetre : 

20 


THE  BAY  PSALM  BOOK 

that    soe   wee    may    sing   in    Sion   the    Lords 

songs    of    praise    according    to    his    own 

will;  untill  hee  take  us  from  hence, 

and  wipe  away  all  our  tears,  & 

bid  us  enter  into  our  masters 

joye    to     sing     eternall 

Halleluiahs." 

Bound  thus  to  the  very  words  of  Scripture,  it 
is  unlikely  that  they  would  have  ventured  to 
exercise  poetic  talents  even  had  they  possessed 
them.  .  It  is  said  that  their  colleague,  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Shepard,  tried  in  vain  his  art  of  per- 
suasion : 

"You  Roxbury  Poets,  keep  clear  of  the  crime 
Of  missing  to  give  us  a  very  good  rhyme. 
And  you  of  Dorchester  your  verses  lengthen, 
And   with   the   texts   own   word   you    will   them 
strengthen." 

The  rendering  of  the  137th  Psalm  is  a  fair 
example  of  the  greater  part  of  the  book: 

"1     The  rivers  on  of  Babilon 

there  when  wee  did  sit  downe: 
yea  even  then  wee  mourned,  when 
wee  remembred  Sion. 

2  Our  Harps  wee  did  hang  it  amid, 

upon  the  willow  tree. 

3  Because  there  they  that  us  away 

led  in  captivitee, 
Requir'd  of  us  a  song,  &  thus 
askt  mirth:  us  waste  who  laid, 
21 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

sing  us  among  a  Sions  song, 
unto  us  then  they  said. 

4  The  lords  song  sing  can  wee?  being 

5  in  strangers  land.     Then  let 
loose  her  skill  my  right  hand,  if  I 
Jerusalem  forget. 

6  Let  cleave  my  tongue  my  pallate  on, 

if  minde  thee  doe  not  I: 

if  chief e  joyes  or'e  I  prize  not  more 

Jerusalem  my  joy." 

In  the  23rd  Psalm  the  translators  were  at  their 
best.  There  is  something  peculiar  about  this 
ancient  song;  no  matter  into  what  language  it  is 
rendered,  it  retains  a  singular  beauty : 

"1     The  Lord  to  mee  a  shepheard  is, 
want  therefore  shall  not  I. 

2  Hee  in  the  folds  of  tender-grasse, 

doth  cause  mee  downe  to  lie: 
To  waters  calme  me  gently  leads 

3  Restore  my  soule  doth  hee: 

he  doth  in  paths  of  righteousnes: 
for  his  names  sake  leade  mee. 

4  Yea  though  in  valley  of  deaths  shade 

I  walk,  none  ill  I'le  feare: 

because  thou  art  with  mee,  thy  rod, 

and  staffe  my  comfort  are. 

5  For  mee  a  table  thou  hast  spread, 

in  presence  of  my  foes: 

thou  dost  annoynt  my  head  with  oyle, 

my  cup  it  over-flowes. 

6  Goodness  &  mercy  surely  shall 

all  my  dayes  follow  mee: 
and  in  the  Lords  house  I  shall  dwell 
so  long  as  dayes  shall  bee." 
22 


THE  BAY  PSALM  BOOK 

Three  hundred  years  ago  compositors  were  not 
guided  by  fixed  rules  in  the  matter  of  spelling 
and  capitalization  and  punctuation,  and  a  mere 
glance  at  the  Bay  Psalm  Book  shows  that  Stephen 
Daye  proceeded  in  an  unusually  free  and  easy 
manner.  Sometimes  a  period  would  be  put  in 
the  middle  of  a  sentence  or  a  word  of  one  syllable 
divided  by  a  hyphen.  There  were  many  curious 
freaks  of  typography  which  were  gradually  cor- 
rected in  later  editions.  The  book  was  a  small 
octavo,  the  leaves  being  approximately  seven  by 
four  and  a  half  inches  in  size.  The  seventeen 
hundred  copies  were  substantially  bound  in  calf, 
and  one  of  those  still  surviving  has  the  remnants 
oMhe  original  brass  clasps.  Only  ten  copies  of 
this,  the  oldest  and  most  precious  book  of  Amer- 
ican production,  are  now  in  existence,  and  but 
three  are  in  perfect  condition.  One  is  in  the 
Bodleian  Library  at  Oxford,  six  are  in  libraries 
in  New  York,  Boston,  and  Worcester,  and  the 
others  are  in  private  collections  in  America. 

As  soon  as  it  appeared  the  new  Psalm  Book 
was  almost  universally  accepted  by  the  churches 
of  the  Bay  Colony,  hence  the  name  by  which  it 
was  known.  But  in  Salem,  where  the  Pilgrim 
spirit  was  dominant,  Ainsworth's  version  was  re- 
tained till  1G67,  and  Plymouth,  the  stronghold  of 
the  Pilgrims,  did  not  give  up  its  beloved  Ains- 
worth  for  the  new  version  till  1692.  A  second 

23 


edition  of  the  Bay  Psalm  Book  was  printed  in 
1647,  with  slight  corrections.  Copies  of  this  edi- 
tion are  extremely  rare,  only  two  being  known 
to  exist,  one  in  the  John  Carter  Brown  Library 
at  Providence,  and  the  other  in  the  British 
Museum. 

In  1650  the  third  edition  appeared.  A  care- 
ful revision  of  the  original  book  had  been  made 
by  President  Dunster,  aided  by  Richard  Lyon,  a 
young  man  chosen  because  of  his  supposed  skill  in 
writing  poetry.  With  this  expert  assistance,  Dr. 
Dunster  ventured  to  add  to  the  Psalms  metrical 
versions  of  other  poetical  portions  of  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments.  But  we  fail  to  discern  any 
improvement  over  the  translations  of  1640. 

• 

Here  is  an  extract  from  the  Song  of  Deborah 
and  Barak : 

"Out  of  a  window  Sisera 

his  mother  look'd,  and  said, 
The  lattess  through,  in  coming  why 

so  long's  chariot  staid? 
His  chariot- wheels  why  tarry  they? 
Her  wise  dames  answered 
Yea  she  turn'd  answer  her  selfe, 
And  what  have  they  not  sped? 
The  prey  by  poll  a  Maid  or  twain 

what  parted  have  not  they? 
Have  they  not  parted  Sisera 

a  party-coloured  nield-work  prey, 

of  nield-work  on  each  side, 
That's  party-coloured,  meet  for  necks 

of  them  that  spoils  divide?" 
24 


THE  BAY  PSALM  BOOK 

That  such  a  version  should  have  been  sent  out 
and  accepted  in  a  community  noted  for  its  intelli- 
gence, only  illustrates  the  exaggerated  reverence 
felt  for  the  precise  language  of  Scripture,  a  rev- 
erence which  led  to  the  belief  that  it  savored  of 
impiety  to  worship  God  in  words  other  than  those 
he  himself  had  given.  But  with  all  its  shortcom- 
ings, as  measured  by  later  standards,  the  Bay 
Psalm  Book  was  a  great  success.  In  order  to  aid 
in  its  circulation  John  Cotton,  probably  the  most 
influential  minister  in  the  colony,  wrote  a  tract 
in  the  year  1647,  on  "Singing  of  Psalms  a  Gos- 
pel ordinance,"  in  which  he  sought  to  quiet  the 
fears  of  those  who  had  scruples  about  any  kind 
of  singing  in  the  house  of  God.  With  his  power- 
ful assistance  and  that  of  other  leaders,  the  Bay 
Psalm  Book  came  to  be  used  all  over  New  Eng- 
land and  as  far  as  Philadelphia.  It  passed 
through  twenty-seven  editions  on  this  side,  and 
was  reprinted  many  times  abroad,  where  it  gained 
a  wide  circulation  in  both  England  and  Scotland. 
It  maintained  its  place  for  more  than  a  century. 

For  fifty  years  the  Bay  Psalm  Book  contained 
no  tunes,  and  it  was  inevitable  that  as  the  original 
colonists  died  off,  many  of  the  tunes  which  had 
been  brought  over  from  England  should  be  for- 
gotten and  pass  out  of  use.  It  was  not  till  1690 
that  a  few  tunes  were  printed,  but  no  copies  of 
that  book  are  now  extant.  In  1698,  the  ninth 

25 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

edition  appeared,  containing  fourteen  tunes,  such 
as  Oxford,  Litchfield,  Low  Dutch,  York,  and 
Windsor.  As  we  should  expect,  it  was  a  crude 
piece  of  work,  with  many  errors.  The  tunes  were 
printed  in  two  parts,  the  bass  and  treble,  and  the 
music  was  without  bars  except  to  divide  the  lines. 
Under  each  note  was  placed  the  initial  of  a  sylla- 
ble denoting  the  tone  to  be  applied  when  sing- 
ing by  note,  and  careful  directions  were  given  for 
the  setting  of  the  tune  so  that  it  could  be  carried 
through  "without  Squeaking  above  or  Grum- 
bling below." 

In  1712,  the  Rev.  John  Tufts,  pastor  at  New- 
bury,  published  the  first  practical  musical  instruc- 
tion book  printed  in  America.  It  was  "a  very 
plain  and  easy  Introduction  to  the  Art  of  Sing- 
ing Psalm  Tunes,"  so  "contrived  as  that  the 
learner  may  attain  the  skill  of  singing  them  with 
the  greatest  ease  and  speed  imaginable."  The 
price  was  low — "6d,  or  5s  the  duz."  Later,  Mr. 
Tufts  published  a  second  collection  of  thirty- 
seven  tunes  in  three  parts,  designed  to  be  bound 
with  the  Bay  Psalm  Book.  Thus  encouragement 
was  given  to  the  proper  singing  of  the  Psalms. 

But  as  the  years  went  by,  the  tremendous  hold 
which  this  venerable  version  had  upon  the  popu- 
lar heart  gradually  loosened.  The  people, 
especially  in  the  larger  towns,  became  restless. 
They  wanted  a  more  poetical  translation.  The 

20 


THE  BAY  PSALM  BOOK 

Rev.  Thomas  Prince,  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished ministers  of  colonial  days,  for  forty  years 
pastor  of  the  Old  South  Church,  Boston,  deter- 
mined to  make  a  thorough  revision  of  the  Bay 
Psalm  Book.  He  and  his  people  were  unwilling 
to  give  it  up  entirely,  but  they  realized  that  it 
must  be  radically  improved.  The  revision  was  fin- 
ished and  published  just  at  the  close  of  his  life, 
and  was  used  for  the  first  time  at  the  Old  South, 
the  Sunday  after  his  death.  He  brought  a  wealth 
of  scholarship  to  his  task,  and  his  renderings  are 
a  great  improvement  over  the  old  version.  "For 
grand  Ideas"  he  says  in  the  preface,  "I  seek  the 
most  majestick  Words;  for  tender  Sentiments, 
the  softest  Words;  for  affecting,  the  most  mov- 
ing; for  wondrous,  the  most  striking/'  The  fol- 
lowing verses  from  the  137th  Psalm  may  be  com- 
pared with  the  passage  already  quoted  from  the 
same  Psalm  in  the  Bay  Psalm  Book. 

"1  As  by  the  streams  of  babylon 

We  captive  sat  with  anxious  fears; 
Then  we  dear  Zion  thought  upon, 
And  melted  into  streams  of  tears. 
2  Our  harps,  our  instruments  of  joy, 

Which  us'd  with  chearful  songs  to  sound, 
We  hung  upon  the  willow  trees 
Which  on  the  shaded  banks  abound." 

Mr.  Prince  added  to  the  Psalms  a  selection  of 
fifty  hymns — the  conservative  spirit  of  the  day 

37 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

would  not  have  permitted  any  more — all  but 
eight  being  from  Watts.  In  this  form  the  book 
was  used  at  the  Old  South  till  1786,  when  it  was 
discarded,  and  with  it  the  Bay  Psalm  Book  went 
out  forever. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  "ACCOMMODATED"  PSALM 
BOOKS 

IN  early  days  there  was  scant  incentive  to  the 
writing  of  hymns.  On  both  sides  of  the  sea  the 
fathers  looked  upon  the  Psalms  as  ample  for  the 
divine  praises,  and  save  in  rare  instances  hymns  of 
"human  composure"  were  under  a  strict  ban. 
But  gradually  sentiment  changed.  In  1696  a 
new  version  of  the  Psalms  appeared  in  England, 
by  Nahum  Tate,  Poet-Laureate,  and  Dr.  Nicho- 
las Brady,  Chaplain  to  the  King.  It  marked 
a  notable  advance  over  any  of  its  predecessors, 
and  was  welcomed  by  some  of  the  New  England 
churches.  During  those  same  years  several  small 
hymn  collections  made  a  timid  appearance.  They 
were  of  minor  value  in  themselves,  but  they 
helped  to  usher  in  something  of  immense  import- 
ance. 

The  year  1707,  forever  memorable  in  the  an- 
nals of  English  hymnology,  gave  to  the  world  the 
famous  little  book,  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs, 
by  Isaac  Watts.  Twelve  years  later,  the  same 
writer  published  The  Psalms  of  David  Imitated. 
Here,  with  commendable  daring,  he  broke  away 
from  a  slavish  adherence  to  the  exact  verbiage 
of  the  Scripture,  and  gave  a  free  translation  of 

S9 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

the  Psalms,  as  he  said,  "in  the  language  of  the 
New  Testament,  and  apply'd  to  the  Christian 
state  and  worship."  The  influence  of  these  two 
small  books  on  Protestant  worship  in  England, 
and  later,  in  America,  for  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years,  can  scarcely  be  overstated.  Neither  book 
won  immediate  favor  on  this  side.  Our  American 
forbears  were  far  from  the  ancestral  home,  and 
somewhat  provincial,  and  they  were  in  such  mor- 
tal fear  of  anything  that  remotely  savored  of 
heresy  that  they  were  extremely  conservative, 
loath  to  part  with  the  old,  slow  to  welcome  the 
new.  In  preparing  his  System  of  Praise,  Watts 
had  had  America  especially  in  mind.  He  entitled 
one  of  the  Psalms,  the  107th,  "A  Psalm  for  New 
England." 

But  while  a  few  copies  of  the  Psalms  and 
Hymns  found  their  way  across  the  sea,  no  one 
ventured  an  American  reprint  till  1729,  when 
Benjamin  Franklin  brought  out  an  edition  of  the 
Psalms  on  his  Philadelphia  press.  Financially, 
however,  it  was  a  failure,  as  there  was  scarcely 
any  demand  for  the  book.  The  Hymns  were  not 
reprinted  till  1739,  a  whole  generation  after  their 
introduction  into  England.  It  was  the  Great 
Awakening  under  Jonathan  Edwards,  beginning 
in  1734,  and  intensified  at  the  time  of  Whitefield's 
first  visit  to  New  England,  in  1740,  that  made  the 
people  thoroughly  dissatisfied  with  the  dull,  life- 

30 


"ACCOMMODATED"  PSALM  BOOK 

less  mode  of  singing  which  had  so  long  been  in 
vogue.  Then  the  door  was  gradually  opened  to 
Watts,  and  once  introduced,  his  System  of  Praise 
grew  into  immense  favor. 

The  American  Revolution,  however,  brought 
unlooked-for  difficulties.  In  his  very  free  ren- 
dering into  English,  Dr.  Watts  had  taken  divers 
liberties  with  the  Psalms,  adapting  them  not 
only  to  the  use  of  Christians,  but  to  Christians 
in  Britain,  making  sundry  and  very  pointed  ref- 
erences to  the  British  sovereign  and  his  king- 
dom. Such  references,  of  course,  could  not  be 
tolerated  in  America  after  the  colonies  gained 
their  independence.  It  therefore  became  neces- 
sary to  "accommodate"  Watts'  version  to  the 
changed  situation.  Various  individuals  in  differ- 
ent places  tried  their  hand  at  the  task  of  revision, 
but  their  versions  had  scarcely  more  than  local 
sanction.  In  Connecticut  the  churches  took 
united  action,  which  led  to  the  issuing  of  two 
authorized  revisions,  which  were  widely  adopted, 
and  the  second  of  which,  especially,  exerted  a 
lasting  influence  on  American  hymnody. 

Joel  liar  low  was  instructed  by  the  General 
Association  of  Congregational  Churches  of  Con- 
necticut to  make  the  needed  alterations.  He  was 
an  interesting  person,  this  "ingenious  Mr.  Joel 
Barlow  of  Connecticut,"  as  he  was  called.  Born 
in  1755,  he  graduated  from  Yale  at  the  age  of 

31 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

twenty-three,  at  the  head  of  his  class.  He  had 
planned  to  at  once  begin  the  study  of  law,  but 
the  Revolution  was  in  progress,  his  own  brothers 
were  in  the  army,  and  already,  on  more  than  one 
occasion,  he  had  run  away  from  his  books  to 
shoulder  a  gun.  Hearing  that  there  was  great 
need  of  chaplains,  he  took  a  short  course  in  the- 
ology, received  a  license  to  preach,  and  served 
as  chaplain  till  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  re- 
sumed his  law  studies  and  settled  in  Hartford. 
While  with  the  army  he  may  not  have  been  con- 
spicuous in  religious  work,  but  he  was  a  poet,  as 
American  poets  went  in  those  days,  and  he  helped 
to  keep  up  the  spirits  of  the  soldiers  by  writing 
patriotic  songs  and  addresses.  First  and  last 
he  had  composed  a  number  of  poems  which  were 
highly  regarded,  and  after  his  return  to  private 
life  it  was  not  unnatural  that  he  should  be  asked 
to  make  the  desired  alterations  in  Watts' 
Psalms.  His  revised  edition  appeared  in  1785 
and  met  with  partial  favor.  He  provided  Psalm- 
versions  of  his  own  where  Watts  had  none.  Sev- 
eral of  them  passed  into  later  hymnals  and  were 
in  common  use  down  to  recent  times.  Here  is 
Barlow's  rendering  of  the  108th  Psalm: 

"Awake,  my  soul,  to  sound  his  praise, 

Awake  my  harp  to  sing; 
Join  all  my  powers  the  song  to  raise, 
And  morning  incense  bring. 
32 


"ACCOMMODATED"  PSALM  BOOK 

"Among  the  people  of  his  care, 

And  thro'  the  nations  round; 
Glad  songs  of  praise  will  I  prepare, 
And  there  his  name  resound. 

"Be  thou  exalted,  O  my  God, 

Above  the  starry  train, 
Diffuse  thy  heavenly  grace  abroad, 
And  teach  the  world  thy  reign. 

"So  shall  thy  chosen  sons  rejoice, 
And  throng  thy  courts  above; 
While  sinners  hear  thy  pardoning  voice, 
And  taste  redeeming  love." 

As  has  been  said,  Barlow's  Psalm  Book  was 
not  received  with  universal  approbation.  It  was 
popular  with  the  Presbyterians,  but  the  Congre- 
gational Churches  were  thoroughly  displeased. 
Barlow  had  far  exceeded  his  instructions,  and  in- 
stead of  simply  "accommodating"  certain  Psalms 
he  had  made  bold  to  revise  Watts  wherever  it 
suited  his  fancy.  This  deeply  offended  many 
who  had  expected  to  use  the  book.  Then  there 
was  another  unfortunate  circumstance.  After 
the  Revolution  Barlow  became  immersed  in  vari- 
ous business  and  political  affairs,  especially 
abroad.  While  he  was  in  France  rumors  reached 
this  country  that  he  had  abandoned  Christianity 
and  become  an  infidel.  The  rumors  were  prob- 
ably false,  but  they  were  credited.  This  gave  a 
body  blow  to  his  Psalm  Book,  which  rap- 
idly fell  into  complete  disfavor.  That  along 

33 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

many  lines  he  was  an  unusually  gifted  man  there 
can  be  no  doubt.  He  held  an  outstanding  rank 
among  the  very  few  American  poets  of  the  day. 
His  principal  work,  The  Columbiad,  was  pub- 
lished in  sumptuous  style,  and  his  humorous 
poem,  The  Hasty  Pudding,  received  wide  com- 
mend^tion.  In  foreign  diplomatic  service  he 
showed  great  ability.  Washington  held  him  in 
high  regard,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1812, 
he  was  United  States  Minister  to  France. 

But  the  strict  orthodoxy  of  those  days  de- 
manded an  entirely  new  book,  utterly  free  from 
even  the  suggestion  of  tainted  associations.  This 
time  there  must  be  no  mistake,  and  so  the  one 
chosen  to  make  the  revision  was  no  less  a  person 
than  Timothy  Dwight,  the  distinguished  presi- 
dent of  Yale  College.  He  was  requested  by  the 
General  Association  of  Connecticut  to  prepare  a 
new  edition  of  Watts'  Psalms,  "accommodating" 
those  passages  which  needed  it  and  versifying  the 
Psalms  that  had  been  omitted  by  Watts;  but  it 
was  understood  that  no  undue  liberties  were  to  be 
taken  with  the  old  version. 

When  we  remember  that  in  multitudes  of 
American  homes  and  churches,  the  Psalm  Book 
had  come  to  occupy  a  place  only  second  to  the 
Bible  itself,  we  can  understand  how  fortunate 
was  the  selection  of  such  a  man  as  Dr.  Dwight 
for  the  task  of  revision.  He  was  born  in  1752, 

84 


"ACCOMMODATED"  PSALM  BOOK 

a  grandson  of  Jonathan  Edwards.  He  entered 
college  at  the  age  of  thirteen  and  graduated  in 
1769,  sharing  with  Nathan  Strong  the  leader- 
ship of  his  class.  Eight  years  later,  when  the  col- 
lege presidency  became  vacant,  the  students  to  a 
man  clamored  for  the  election  of  young  Dwight, 
and  doubtless  he  would  have  been  chosen  had  he 
not  absolutely  declined  the  honor.  Subsequently, 
in  1795,  he  accepted  the  post,  and  gave  his  Alma 
Mater  more  than  twenty  years  of  brilliant  service. 
Soon  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution  he 
was  appointed  chaplain  in  the  American  army, 
and  at  once  became  a  favorite  with  both  officers 
and  men.  He  was  twenty-five  at  the  time,  of  fine 
physical  build,  and  with  those  sturdy  democratic 
ideals  which  led  him  in  later  years  to  shatter  the 
narrow  aristocracy  of  Yale.  Washington  came 
to  know  and  to  greatly  admire  him.  He  was  an 
enthusiastic  patriot,  and  no  sooner  had  he  entered 
the  army  than  he  began  to  write  songs  for  the 
soldiers.  His  "Ode  on  the  Glory  of  Columbia" 
began  with  the  stirring  lines : 

"Columbia,  Columbia,  to  glory  arise, 
The  queen  of  the  world  a'nd  child  of  the  skies ! 
Thy  genius  commands  thee;  with  rapture  behold, 
While  ages  on  ages  thy  splendors  unfold." 

Songs  of  real  merit  were  scarce,  and  Dwight's 
productions  were  eagerly  caught  up  and  sung 
everywhere  by  the  soldiers.  At  the  close  of  the 

35 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

war  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Legislature,  and  had  he  consented  he  would 
have  been  sent  to  Congress. 

While  no  one  would  think  of  calling  Timothy 
Dwight  a  poet  in  any  large  sense,  he  had  a  dis- 
tinct poetic  talent  of  which  he  made  full  use. 
When  only  twenty-four  he  finished  an  elaborate 
epic  in  eleven  books,  The  Conquest  of  Canaan, 
which,  when  published  some  years  later,  was  well 
received  both  at  home  and  abroad.  The  poet 
Cowper  commended  it  very  cordially.  Other 
poems  followed  from  his  pen.  This,  then,  was 
the  man,  scholar,  patriot,  poet,  to  whom  was 
committed  the  difficult  and  delicate  task  of  revis- 
ing the  Psalm  Book  of  Isaac  Watts.  His  stand- 
ing among  the  churches  of  the  New  World  was  so 
high  that  whatever  he  might  send  out  would  be 
accepted  as  authoritative.  He  showed  his  skill  in 
"accommodating"  the  English  version  to  Ameri- 
can conditions.  Thus,  in  paraphrasing  the  18th 
Psalm,  Watts  wrote,  with  the  British  Red  Coats 
in  mind: 

"'Tis  by  thine  Aid  our  Troops  prevail, 

And  break  united  Powers, 
Or  burn  their  boasted  Fleets,  or  scale 

The  proudest  of  their  Tow'rs. 
How  have  we  chas'd  them  thro'  the  Fields 

And  trod  them  to  the  Ground, 
While  thy  Salvation  was  our  Shield, 
But  they  no  Shelter  found." 
36 


"ACCOMMODATED"  PSALM  BOOK 

This  would  never  do  for  America.  And  so, 
with  an  eye  to  Bunker  Hill  and  Saratoga  and 
Yorktown,  and  thinking  of  Washington,  the 
mighty  chieftain,  Dwight  wrote  as  follows: 

"When,  fir'd  to  rage,  against  our  nation  rose 
Chiefs  of  proud  name,  and  bands  of  haughty  foes, 
He  train'd  our  hosts  to  fight,  with  arms  array'd 
With  health  invigor'd,  and  with  bounty  fed, 
Gave  us  his  chosen  chief  our  sons  to  guide, 
Heard  every  prayer,  and  every  want  supplied. 
He  gave  their  armies  captive  to  our  hands, 
Or  sent  them  frustrate  to  their  native  lands." 

This  certainly  has  a  patriotic  ring  about  it  that 
ought  to  have  satisfied  the  most  ardent  soul, 
though  it  strikes  us  as  somewhat  odd  that  such 
Psalm  versions  should  have  been  used  as  a  regu- 
lar part  of  divine  worship. 

In  Watts,  the  75th  Psalm  is  "applied  to  the 
glorious  Revolution  of  King  William,  or  the 
happy  accession  of  King  George  to  the  throne." 
Dwight  wrote  an  entirely  new  version  and  called 
it  "A  Psalm  for  a  General  Election."  It  would 
suit  our  own  times  admirably.  Here  are  some 
of  the  lines : 

"While  from  thy  hand  our  rulers  take  their  power 
Give  them  thy  greatness  humbly  to  adore." 
.......... 

May  they 

"Defend  the  poor,  debasing  bribes  disdain, 
Avenge  bold  wrongs,  nor  wield  the  sword  in  vain. 

37 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Give  them  the  public  weal  alone  to  prize, 

And  each  base  purpose  nobly  to  despise; 

Teach  them,  that  greatness,  power,  and  place  are 

thine, 

Gifts  from  thy  hand,  bestow'd  for  ends  divine; 
Rulers,  thy  Stewards,  to  mankind  are  given 
To  shower  the  good,  and  build  the  cause  of  heaven; 
From  thee  a  rich  reward  the  faithful  know; 
The  faithless  hasten  to  distinguished  woe." 

Think  of  such  sentiments  embodied  in  a  book 
of  devotion  used  in  public  and  private  worship  all 
over  the  land,  and  clothed  with  more  than  human 
authority!  How  potent  for  good  the  influence 
must  have  been!  A  number  of  Dwight's  para- 
phrases, although  professedly  Psalms  and  printed 
with  them,  were  such  free  renderings  that  they 
passed  into  general  use  as  independent  hymns. 
The  paraphrase  by  which  he  is  best  known  is  the 
one  inspired  by  the  words  of  the  137th  Psalm:  "If 
I  forget  thee,  O  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand  for- 
get her  cunning.  If  I  do  not  remember  thee,  let 
my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth;  if  I 
prefer  not  Jerusalem  above  my  chief  joy." 

"I  love  thy  Kingdom,  Lord, 
The  house  of  thine  abode, 
The  Church  our  blest  Redeemer  saved 
With  his  own  precious  blood. 

"I  love  thy  Church,  O  God: 

Her  walls  before  thee  stand, 
Dear  as  the  apple  of  thine  eye 
And  graven  on  thy  hand. 
38 


"ACCOMMODATED"  PSALM  BOOK 

"If  e'er  to  bless  thy  sons 

My  voice  or  hands  deny, 
These  hands  let  useful  skill  forsake, 
This  voice  in  silence  die. 

"If  e'er  my  heart  forget 

Her  welfare  or  her  woe, 
Let  every  joy  this  heart  forsake, 
And  every  grief  o'erflow. 

"For  her  my  tears  shall  fall, 

For  her  my  prayers  ascend; 
To  her  my  cares  and  toils  be  given 
Till  toils  and  cares  shall  end. 

"Beyond  my  highest  joy 

I  prize  her  heavenly  ways, 
Her  sweet  communion,  solemn  vows, 
Her  hymns  of  love  and  praise. 

"Jesus,  thou  Friend  Divine, 

Our  Saviour  and  our  King, 
Thy  hand  from  every  snare  and  foe 
Shall  great  deliverance  bring. 

"Sure  as  thy  truth  shall  last, 

To  Zion  shall  be  given 
The  brightest  glories  earth  can  yield, 
And  brighter  bliss  of  heaven." 

The  name  of  Timothy  Dwight  is  famed  in  early 
American  hymnology,  and  the  above  stanzas  are 
the  choicest  contribution  he  has  left  us.  Prob- 
ably no  hymn  of  the  church  is  held  in  more  wide- 
spread favor.  It  is  loved  and  sung  the  world 
around. 

39 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Dr.  D  wight  died  in  1817,  after  a  most  illus- 
trious career.  The  amount  of  work  he  accom- 
plished was  all  the  more  astonishing  when  we  re- 
member that  in  early  manhood  his  eyes  were  seri- 
ously injured,  so  that  "during  the  greater  part 
of  forty  years  he  was  not  able  to  read  fifteen 
minutes  in  the  twenty-four  hours ;  and  often,  for 
days  and  weeks  together,  the  pain  which  he  en- 
dured in  that  part  of  the  head  immediately  behind 
the  eyes  amounted  to  anguish."  And  still  he 
conquered. 


40 


SAMUEL  UAVI15S 


CHAPTER  III 
PIONEER  HYMN  WRITERS 

WHILE  the  Psalms  and  hymns  of  Watts  were 
coming  into  use  in  the  New  World,  Americans 
themselves  were  trying  their  hand  at  versifying. 
Reference  has  just  been  made  to  the  noble  para- 
phrase of  the  137th  Psalm  by  Dwight.  But 
with  rare  exceptions  the  hymns  of  the  eighteenth 
century  have  long  since  been  forgotten,  for 
though  colonial  America  had  theologians  and 
preachers  second  to  none  she  was  not  yet  on  inti- 
mate terms  with  the  muses.  During  the  years 
that  Charles  Wesley  and  Doddridge  and  Cowper 
and  Toplady  and  a  score  of  others  were  enrich- 
ing the  literature  of  England  with  a  veritable 
treasury  of  sacred  song,  the  yield  on  this  side  of 
the  sea  was  scanty  and  for  the  most  part  of  an 
inferior  order. 

Nor,  indeed,  as  already  stated,  was  there  much 
incentive  to  hymn-writing.  The  Episcopal  and 
many  of  the  Presbyterian  Churches  held  strictly 
to  the  singing  of  Psalms,  while  the  Congrega- 
tional Churches,  and  such  of  the  Baptist  and 
Presbyterian  as  preferred  hymns,  were  well  con- 
tented with  the  collection  by  Watts.  The  Meth- 
odists were  few  in  number,  and  they  had  their 

41 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Wesleyan  hymn  book.  Not  till  American  inde- 
pendence became  more  than  a  political  fact,  and 
the  sons  of  this  new  soil  awoke  to  full  self -con- 
sciousness and  felt  the  spur  of  freemen  and  heard 
the  call  of  a  new  age,  did  the  era  of  hymn-writing, 
in  any  large  and  worthy  sense,  begin  on  this  side 
of  the  Atlantic.  But  while  this  is  true,  the  pio- 
neer efforts  date  from  a  much  earlier  time,  and 
are  of  genuine  interest  not  only  because  they  were 
pioneer  but  because  in  some  instances  they  were 
decidedly  creditable. 

A  forerunner  among  American  hymn  writers 
was  Samuel  Davies.  Without  doubt  he  was  one 
of  the  most  brilliant  men  that  adorned  the  Amer- 
ican pulpit  during  colonial  days.  He  was  born 
in  1723  and  died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-seven, 
but  in  that  short  time  he  made  a  wonderful  rec- 
ord. He  preached  in  Virginia  for  several  years, 
and  in  1759  he  succeeded  Jonathan  Edwards  as 
president  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  now 
Princeton  University.  As  a  pulpit  orator  he  was 
the  most  distinguished  American  of  his  times. 
The  crowds  that  gathered  to  hear  him  were  so 
great  that  again  and  again,  like  Whitefield,  he 
held  his  services  in  the  open  air.  Before  he  was 
thirty  he  visited  England,  and  his  preaching  in 
London  created  such  a  stir  that  it  attracted  the 
attention  of  George  the  Second,  who  invited  the 
young  man — albeit  he  was  a  Presbyterian — to 

42 


PIONEER  HYMN  WRITERS 

occupy  the  pulpit  of  the  Chapel  Royal.  Davies 
did  so,  and  the  king  was  so  delighted  with  the 
sermon  that  during  its  delivery  he  could  not  re- 
frain from  repeatedly  whispering  words  of  praise 
to  those  who  sat  near  him. 

Davies  was  quite  given  to  preaching  on  current 
events — indeed,  this  was  one  secret  of  his  im- 
mense popularity.  Being  of  a  poetic  bent,  he  was 
also  in  the  habit,  now  and  again,  of  appending  an 
original  hymn  to  his  sermon.  These  hymns  do 
not  appear  to  have  been  sung  by  the  people,  but 
they  form  a  very  appropriate  and  effective  close 
to  the  printed  discourses. 

The  Lisbon  earthquake  occurred  in  1755  and 
made  a  profound  impression  on  both  Europe  and 
America.  It  moved  Charles  Wesley  to  write  a 
special  group  of  hymns,  which  came  into  general 
circulation.  Samuel  Davies  improved  the  occa- 
sion to  preach  a  sermon  of  warning  and  admoni- 
tion. The  hymn  which  followed  it  bore  the  title : 
"The  Different  States  of  Sinners  and  Saints  in 
the  Wreck  of  Nature."  It  is  now  entirely  for- 
gotten, but  for  many  years  it  was  widely  used 
both  in  America  and  England.  In  part  it  ran  as 
follows : 

"How  great,  how  terrible  that  God, 
Who  shakes  Creation  with  his  Nod! 
He  frowns,  and  Earth's  Foundations  shake, 
And  all  the  Wheels  of  Nature  break. 
43 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"Where  now,  oh  where  shall  Sinners  seek 
For  Shelter  in  the  general  Wreck! 
Shall  falling  Rocks  be  o'er  them  thrown? 
See  Rocks,  like  snow  dissolving  down. 

"In  vain  for  mercy  now  they  cry; 
In  Lakes  of  liquid  Fire  they  lie; 
There  on  the  flaming  billows  tost, 
Forever — oh,  forever  lost! 

"But,  Saints,  undaunted  and  serene 
Your  Eyes  shall  view  the  dreadful  Scene; 
Your  Saviour  lives,  tho'  Worlds  expire, 
And  Earth  and  Skies  dissolve  in  Fire." 

In  the  early  collections  this  hymn  was  included 
among  those  classified  as  "Alarming,"  and  de- 
signed to  arouse  sinners  from  their  easy  slumbers. 
But  it  should  be  added  that  most  of  Davies' 
hymns  were  not  of  this  character.  Indeed,  for 
that  age  they  were  remarkably  free  from  the 
smell  of  fire  and  brimstone. 

The  year  of  the  earthquake  also  witnessed  the 
disastrous  defeat  of  the  British  and  colonial 
forces  under  Braddock,  by  the  French  and  In- 
dians. A  wave  of  dismay  swept  over  the  central 
colonies  and  especially  Virginia.  The  general 
gloom  was  deepened  by  the  almost  complete  loss 
of  the  crops,  from  lack  of  rain.  Davies,  who  was 
an  ardent  patriot,  took  occasion  to  'preach  a 
special  sermon  on,  "Virginia's  Danger  and  Rem- 
edy, and  occasioned  by  the  severe  Drought  in 

44 


sundry  Parts  of  that  Country,  and  the  Defeat  of 
General  Braddock."  With  dramatic  eloquence 
he  pictured  the  "Slaughtered  families,  mangled 
corpses,  men,  women,  and  children  held  in  bar- 
barous captivity  in  the  dens  of  savages;  routed 
garrisons,  demolished  fortifications,  deserted, 
desolated  settlements  upon  our  frontiers."  With 
fiery  zeal  he  denounced  France  as  the  center  of 
a  "formidable  confederacy  of  Popish  tyrants" 
which  was  trying  to  shatter  British  liberties,  and 
then  he  feelingly  referred  to  "our  brave  ally,  the 
King  of  Prussia."  Strange  reading  in  these  days 
of  reversed  alliances !  Following  the  sermon  came 
this  hymn,  which  later  found  its  way  into  the 
hymnals  of  various  denominations  and  was  in 
use  down  to  recent  times  as  appropriate  for  Fast- 
Days: 

"While  o'er  our  guilty  Land,  O  Lord, 
We  view  the  Terrors  of  thy  Sword; 
While  Heav'n  its  fruitful  Show'rs  denies, 
And  Nature  round  us  fades  and  dies; 

"While  Clouds  collecting  o'er  our  Head 
Seem  charg'd  with  Wrath  to  smite  us  dead, 
Oh!  whither  shall  the  helpless  fly? 
To  whom  but  Thee  direct  their  cry? 

"On  Thee,  our  Guardian  God  we  call, 
Before  thy  Throne  of  Grace  we  fall; 
And  is  there  no  Deliv'rance  there? 
And  must  we  perish  in  Despair? 
45 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMX 

"See,  we  repent,  we  weep,  we  mourn, 
To  our  forsaken  God  we  turn; 
O  spare  our  guilty  country,  spare 
The  church  which  thou  hast  planted  here." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  following  the  de- 
feat of  Braddock,  the  army  was  saved  from  total 
destruction  by  the  skill  and  heroism  of  George 
Washington,  at  that  time  a  young  man  of  twen- 
ty-three. A  few  weeks  later,  Samuel  Davies 
preached  before  a  company  of  Colonial  Volun- 
teers and  praised  the  martial  spirit  of  the  coun- 
try's defenders.  As  a  footnote  in  the  printed 
sermon  he  added  these  words :  "As  a  remarkable 
instance  of  this,  I  may  point  out  to  the  public 
that  heroic  youth,  Colonel  Washington,  whom  I 
cannot  but  hope  Providence  has  hitherto  pre- 
served in  so  signal  a  manner  for  some  important 
service  to  his  country."  Bear  in  mind,  this  was  in 
1755. 

Samuel  Davies'  hymns  were  printed  and  found 
favor  in  England  even  before  they  became  gen- 
erally known  in  America.  Dr.  John  Rippon,  of 
London,  included  seven  of  them  in  the  famous 
Baptist  Hymn  Book  which  he  published  in 
1787.  One  of  them  became  so  popular  that  it 
appeared  in  more  than  one  hundred  hymn  books 
in  England  alone,  though  it  is  not  so  well 
known  on  this  side.  The  first  two  stanzas  are 
as  follows: 

46 


PIONEER  HYMN  WRITERS 

"Great  God  of  Wonders!  All  thy  Ways 
Are  matchless,  godlike,  and  divine, 

But  the  fair  Glories  of  thy  Grace 
More  godlike  and  unrivalPd  shine: 

Who  is  a  pard'ning  God  like  Thee? 
Or  who  has  Grace  so  rich  and  free?" 

"Crimes  of  such  Horror  to  forgive, 
Such  guilty  daring  Worms  to  spare, 

This  is  thy  grand  Prerogative, 

And  none  shall  in  thy  Honor  share. 

Who  is  a  pard'ning  God  like  Thee? 
Or  who  has  Grace  so  rich  and  free?" 

The  hymn  by  President  Davies  which  is  best 
known  in  America  is  the  one  beginning,  "Lord, 
I  am  thine,  entirely  thine." 

It  was  among  the  seven  in  Rippon's  Selection, 
but  there  the  force  of  the  opening  line  was  broken 
by  being  put  as  a  question:  "Lord,  am  I  thine, 
entirely  thine?" 

Happily,  in  other  collections,  the  declarative 
form  of  the  original,  with  its  strong,  Pauline  as- 
surance, has  been  retained.  This  hymn  was  in- 
cluded in  the  early  American  hymn  books  of  the 
last  century,  and  to-day  it  is  a  standard  with 
most  denominations  in  this  country,  though  sin- 
gularly enough,  almost  unknown  in  England.  It 
has  the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest  hymn  of 
American  origin  in  general  use.  It  was  origi- 
nally appended  to  a  sermon  on  "Dedication  to 
God,"  from  the  words  of  Paul,  "Ye  are  not  your 

47 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

own;  for  ye  are  bought  with  a  price,"  a  sermon 
preparatory  to  the  Lord's  Supper.  As  the 
preacher  drew  to  the  close  he  rose  to  a  dramatic 
climax.  He  appealed  to  his  hearers  to  "Make  the 
transaction  [of  self -dedication]  as  solemn  and  ex- 
plicit as  you  can  and  follow  me,  while  I  speak 
for  you :  Lord,  here  is  a  poor  sinner,  thy  creature 
redeemed  by  the  blood  of  thy  Son,  that  has  long 
been  a  slave  to  other  masters,  and  withheld  from 
thee  thy  just  and  dear-bought  property;  here, 
Lord,  I  would  now,  freely  and  without  reserve, 
devote  and  surrender  myself,  my  soul  and  body, 
and  my  all  to  thee,  to  be  universally  and  forever 
thine.  And  let  the  omnipotent  God,  let  angels 
and  men,  be  witness  to  the  engagement.  Do  you, 
my  dear  brethren,  heartily  consent  to  this  for- 
mula? Then  the  contract  is  ready  for  sealing; 
therefore  let  us  rise  and  crowd  round  the  table 
of  our  Lord,  and  there  annex  our  solemn  seals, 
and  acknowledge  it  as  our  act  and  deed." 

When  we  picture  to  ourselves  the  great  throng 
such  as  always  gathered  to  hear  Samuel  Davies 
preach,  as  we  listen  to  the  fervid  sermon  with  its 
glowing  appeal,  and  then  watch  the  eager  wor- 
shipers pressing  forward  to  the  Sacramental 
table,  the  words  of  this  noble  old  hymn  of  con- 
secration take  on  a  new  meaning : 

"Lord,  I  am  thine,  entirely  thine, 
Purchased  and  saved  by  blood  divine; 
48 


PIONEER  HYMN  WRITERS 

With  full  consent  thine  I  would  be, 
And  own  thy  sovereign  right  in  me. 

"Grant  one  poor  sinner  more  a  place 
Among  the  children  of  thy  grace; 
A  wretched  sinner,  lost  to  God, 
But  ransomed  by  Immanuel's  blood. 

"Thine  would  I  live,  thine  would  I  die, 
Be  thine  through  all  eternity; 
The  vow  is  past  beyond  repeal, 
Now  will  I  set  the  solemn  seal. 

"Here,  at  that  cross  where  flows  the  blood 
That  bought  my  guilty  soul  for  God, 
Thee,  my  new  Master,  now  I  call, 
And  consecrate  to  thee  my  all." 

Davies  died  on  February  4,  1761.  He  seems 
to  have  had  a  premonition  of  the  approaching 
end.  The  text  of  his  New  Year's  sermon, 
preached  only  a  month  before,  was,  "This  year 
thou  shalt  die."  This  pioneer  hymnist  will  al- 
ways hold  a  place  of  high  honor  in  the  annals  of 
American  hymnology. 

While  Samuel  Davies,  the  Presbyterian,  was 
writing  hymns  in  Virginia,  Mather  Byles,  the 
Congregationalist,  was  similarly  employed  in 
New  England.  Born  in  1706,  graduating  from 
Harvard  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  entered  the 
ministry  and  became  pastor  of  the  newly  organ- 
ized church — destined  to  become  famous — on 
Hollis  Street,  Boston.  Here  he  remained  till 

49 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

1776  and  doubtless  would  have  ended  his  days 
there  had  he  not  been  such  a  confirmed  Tory. 
He  was  not  only  deprived  of  his  pulpit,  but  for 
some  time  was  held  a  prisoner  in  his  own  home. 
He  was  the  wit  of  all  Boston  and  an  incorrigible 
punster.  He  called  the  sentinel  who  was  posted 
in  front  of  the  house  an  "Observe-a-Tory,"  and 
after  that  official  had  been  changed  several  times 
and  was  finally  withdrawn  altogether,  he  re- 
marked of  himself  that  it  was  a  case  of  being 
"guarded,  reguarded,  and  disregarded." 

Mather  Byles  was  an  eloquent  preacher  and 
a  man  of  considerable  literary  distinction.  He 
began  writing  poetry  when  scarcely  more  than  a 
boy,  and  a  volume  of  his  poems  was  afterward 
printed.  He  corresponded  with  a  number  of 
English  celebrities,  including  Swift  and  Pope,  and 
the  latter  sent  him  his  newly  translated  Odyssey. 
He  was  also  on  pleasant  terms  with  Isaac  Watts. 
Though  not  an  extensive  composer  of  hymns,  nor 
producing  anything  of  permanent  merit,  what 
he  wrote  was  superior  to  most  that  America  was 
giving  the  world  in  those  days.  One  of  his 
hymns,  on  the  Greatness  of  God,  closes  with  these 
lines: 

"Who  can  behold  the  blazing  light? 

Who  can  approach  consuming  flame? 
None  but  thy  Wisdom  knows  thy  Might; 
None  but  thy  Word  can  speak  thy  Name. 
50 


MATHER  BYLES 


PIONEER  HYMN  WRITERS 

"Great  God,  forgive  our  feeble  Lays, 
On  our  cold  lips  the  anthems  die; 
A  Song  to  equal  all  thy  Praise, 

Calls  for  the  Voice  that  tun'd  the  Sky." 

Another  hymn,  the  best  known  from  the  pen 
of  Byles,  included  by  Henry  Ward  Beecher  in 
the  collection  prepared  for  Plymouth  Church  in 
1855,  and  found  in. books  of  still  later  date,  is  the 
following,  which  we  quote  in  part: 

"When  wild  Confusion  wrecks  the  Air, 

And  Tempests  rend  the  Skies, 
Whilst  blended  Ruin,  Clouds  and  Fire 
In  harsh  Disorder  rise, 

"Safe  in  my  Saviour's  Love,  I'll  stand, 

And  strike  a  tuneful  Song; 
My  Harp  all-trembling  in  my  Hand, 
And  all  inspir'd  my  Tongue. 

"Come  quickly,  Blessed  Hope!  appear, 

Bid  thy  swift  chariot  fly; 
Let  Angels  tell  thy  coming  near, 
And  snatch  me  to  the  Sky." 

While  Mather  Byles  did  something  for  Amer- 
ican hymnology  through  his  original  contribu- 
tions, he  also  helped  in  another  way.  In  1760  he 
introduced  into  the  church  of  which  he  was  pastor 
a  book  of  praise  which  contained  not  only  the 
Psalms  in  meter,  but  also  one  hundred  hymns  by 
Watts  and  others.  Even  at  this  date  hymn-sing- 
ing in  public  worship  was  frowned  upon  in  so 
many  places,  that  it  meant  much  when  a  pulpit 

51 


leader  like  Byles  threw  the  weight  of  his  exam- 
ple and  influence  on  the  side  of  a  System  of 
Praise  which  marked  such  a  decided  advance  over 
anything  that  had  been  used  in  the  past. 

In  1723,  the  same  year  in  which  Samuel  Davies 
was  born  in  Delaware,  Samson  Occom  began  life 
near  Norwich,  Connecticut.    He  was  destined  to 
become  the  most  famous  Christian  Indian  in  New 
England  if  not  in  all  America.     He  belonged 
to  the  Mohegans,  and  like  his  fellow-tribesmen, 
he  grew  up  a  pagan.    But  the  Great  Awakening 
under  Jonathan  Edwards  was  abroad  in  the  land. 
Preachers  with  a  heavenly  message  were  going 
everywhere  telling  the  good  news  to  whites  and 
Indians  alike.    When  seventeen  years  old  Occom 
was  soundly  converted.    He  had  the  rare  good 
fortune  to  be  received  into  the  home  of  Rev. 
Eleazar   Wheelock,    at    Lebanon,    Connecticut, 
who  had  gathered  about  him  a  few  youths  for 
instruction.    Here  the  young  man  remained  for 
the  next  four  years,  obtaining  a  fair  education, 
especially  in  the  Scriptures.    His  Hebrew  Bible, 
bound  in  deerskin,  doubtless  the  work  of  his  own 
hands,  is  still  preserved.    He  was  ambitious  to  go 
through  Yale  and  take  a  theological  course,  but 
his  health  would  not  permit  it.    For  some  years 
he  served  as  a  lay  missionary  among  the  Indians 
at  Montauk,  at  the  eastern  end  of  Long  Island. 
Then,  in  1759,  after  he  had  preached  a  trial  ser- 

52 


mon  and  had  passed  an  examination  that  would 
have  tested  a  white  candidate,  he  was  solemnly 
ordained  to  the  Christian  ministry  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  This  was  so  extraordinary  an 
event  that  it  made  a  profound  impression 
throughout  New  England.  He  soon  began  mis- 
sionary work  among  the  Oneida  Indians,  but  the 
white  settlers  whom  he  met  were  harder  to  man- 
age than  the  redskins,  which  drew  from  Occom 
the  nai've  comment,  "I  have  thought  there  was 
no  Heathen  but  the  wild  Indian,  but  I  think  now 
there  is  some  English  Heathen." 

The  eager  desire  of  Occom  to  attend  school  and 
the  good  use  he  made  of  all  he  learned,  awakened 
a  growing  interest  in  the  subject  of  Indian  edu- 
cation; so  much  so  that  his  friends  arranged  for 
him  to  go  to  England  to  raise  money  for  an  In- 
dian Charity  School.  He  was  the  first  Indian 
preacher  who  had  ever  visited  Britain,  and  his 
appearance  in  the  pulpit  created  a  sensation.  He 
spoke  more  than  three  hundred  times  and  crowds 
gathered  to  hear  him.  George  Whitefield,  who 
had  often  met  him  in  America  and  fully  appre- 
ciated the  value  of  his  work,  introduced  him  in 
the  highest  circles,  and  for  more  than  a  year  he 
went  about,  almost  lionized.  The  marvel  is  that 
the  poor  man's  head  was  not  turned.  But  he 
came  back  to  his  native  land  as  simple-hearted 
and  zealous  as  ever,  having  raised  £15,000,  an 

53 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

immense  sum  for  those  days.  A  school  was  estab- 
lished at  Hanover,  New  Hampshire,  and  soon 
after  was  incorporated  with  Dartmouth  College. 

In  1772  an  Indian  who  had  committed  murder 
was  sentenced  to  be  hanged  at  New  Haven.  At 
the  condemned  man's  earnest  appeal,  Samson 
Occom  preached  a  sermon  on  the  eve  of  the  exe- 
cution. A  great  crowd  of  white  men  and  Indians 
listened  to  it  with  rapt  attention.  It  was  after- 
ward printed  and  widely  circulated  both  here  and 
abroad.  A  single  quotation  will  illustrate  Oc- 
com's  power  of  imagination.  Describing  the  end- 
less future,  he  exclaimed:  "O  eternity,  eternity, 
eternity!  Who  can  measure  it?  Who  can  count 
the  years  thereof?  Arithmetic  must  fail,  the 
thoughts  of  men  and  angels  are  drowned  in  it; 
how  shall  we  describe  eternity?  To  what  shall 
we  compare  it?  Were  it  possible  to  employ  a  fly 
to  carry  off  this  globe  by  the  small  particles 
thereof,  and  to  carry  them  to  such  a  distance 
that  it  should  return  once  in  ten  thousand  years 
for  another  particle,  and  so  continue  until  it  has 
carried  off  all  this  globe,  and  framed  them  to- 
gether in  some  unknown  space,  until  it  has  made 
just  such  a  world  as  this  is;  after  all,  eternity 
would  remain  the  same  unexhausted  duration." 

In  1774  Mr.  Occom  was  emboldened  to  make 
a  new  venture,  to  prepare  a  Choice  Collection  of 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs.  The  Indians  of 

54 


PIONEER  HYMN  WRITERS 

New  England,  in  a  primitive  way  were  fond  of 
music.  Governor  Winslow  relates  how  "they 
use  to  sing  themselves  asleepe"  with  "barbarous 
singing";  and  a  letter  written  in  1705  to  Sir 
William  Ashurst,  in  England,  and  signed  by 
several  eminent  colonial  ministers,  spoke  in  par- 
ticular of  the  Indians'  "excellent  singing  of 
Psalms,  with  most  ravishing  melody."  The 
Christian  Indians  greatly  enjoyed  Psalm  sing- 
ing, and  at  a  later  date,  when  hymns  were  intro- 
duced, their  enthusiasm  knew  no  bounds.  Oc- 
com's  diary,  recording  his  missionary  journeys 
through  the  forests,  is  full  of  references  to  the 
vociferous  singing  of  the  red  men.  They  may 
sometimes  have  been  weak  in  prayer  and  good 
works,  but  they  were  mighty  in  song.  Occom 
himself  was  a  good  singer  and  tolerably  ac- 
quainted with  music.  His  visit  to  England 
opened  his  eyes  to  the  value  of  hymns  in  public 
worship,  and  he  brought  back  With  him  a  num- 
ber of  collections  which  aided  him  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  his  own  book. 

But  what  especially  interests  us  is  the  fact 
that  Occom  himself  was  a  writer  of  hymns, 
though  for  some  unknown  reason  none  of  them 
appear  in  his  own  collection,  and  it  is  therefore 
difficult  to  positively  identify  them.  Of  one, 
however,  there  is  no  reasonable  doubt  that  it  is 
the  work  of  this  gifted  Indian  preacher.  It  is 

55 


entitled,  "The  New  Birth,"  and  it  merits  quota- 
tion in  full: 

"Wak'd  by  the  gospel's  joyful  sound, 
My  soul  in  guilt  and  thrall  I  found, 

Exposed  to  endless  woe: 
Eternal  truth  aloud  proclaim'd, 
The  sinner  must  be  born  again, 
Or  else  to  ruin  go. 

"Surpris'd  I  was,  but  could  not  tell 
Which  way  to  shun  the  gates  of  hell, 

For  they  were  drawing  near: 
I  strove  indeed,  but  all  in  vain — 
The  sinner  must  be  born  again, 

Still  sounded  in  my  ear. 

"Then  to  the  law  I  flew  for  help; 
But  still  the  weight  of  guilt  I  felt, 

And  no  relief  I  found: 
While  death  eternal  gave  me  pain, 
The  sinner  must  be  born  again, 

Did  loud  as  thunder  sound. 

"God's  justice  now  I  did  behold, 
And  guilt' lay  heavy  on  my  soul — 

It  was  a  heavy  load! 
I  read  my  Bible;  it  was  plain 
The  sinner  must  be  born  again, 

Or  feel  the  wrath  of  God. 

"I  heard  some  tell  how  Christ  did  give 
His  life,  to  let  the  sinner  live; 

But  him  I  could  not  see: 
This  solemn  truth  did  still  remain — 
The  sinner  must  be  born  again, 
Or  dwell  in  misery. 
56 


PIONEER  HYMN  WRITERS 

"But  as  my  soul,  with  dying  breath, 
Was  gasping  in  eternal  death, 

Christ  Jesus  I  did  spy: 
Free  grace  and  pardon  he  proclaimed; 
The  sinner  then  was  born  again, 

With  raptures  I  did  cry. 

"The  Angels  in  the  world  above, 
And  saints  can  witness  to  the  love, 

Which  then  my  soul  enjoy 'd. 
My  soul  did  mount  on  faith,  its  wing, 
And  glory,  glory,  did  I  sing, 

To  Jesus  Christ  my  Lord. 

"Come,  needy  sinners,  hear  me  tell 
What  boundless  love  in  Jesus  dwell, 

How  mercy  doth  abound; 
Let  none  of  mercy  doubting  stand, 
Since  I  the  chief  of  sinners  am, 

Yet  I  have  mercy  found." 

Early  in  the  last  century  this  hymn  became 
widely  known  in  England,  and  in  1814  it  was 
translated  into  Welsh.  For  years  it  was  a  fa- 
vorite in  the  Welsh  revivals,  and  Dr.  Joseph  Bel- 
cher, writing  in  1859,  said  that  "no  doubt  can 
be  entertained  of  its  having  led  many  hundred 
sinners  to  the  cross  of  Christ."  L^p  to  recent 
times  it  was  found  with  alterations  in  a  number 
of  American  collections,  but  now,  unfortunately, 
it  has  almost  entirely  passed  out  of  use.  It  is 
interesting  to  know  that  in  some  Indian  tribes  it 
is  still  sung  by  the  Christians,  who  hold  in  rever- 

57 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

ent  memory  the  noble  man  who  devoted  his  life  to 
the  saving  of  his  own  race. 

Another  early  hymn-writer, .  entirely  lacking 
the  education  and  culture  of  Davies  and  Byles, 
but  abounding  in  zeal,  was  Henry  Alline.  Born 
at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  in  1748,  he  lived  to  be 
only  thirty-five.  He  became  a  preacher  and 
quickly  developed  into  a  flaming  evangelist  of 
great  popularity.  Though  holding  some  curious 
theological  ideas,  fundamentally  he  was  sound. 
He  wrote  many  books,  but  we  are  especially  in- 
terested in  his  collection  of  Hymns  and  Spiritual 
Songs.  They  number  487,  and  the  astonishing 
fact  is  that  they  are  all  from  the  pen  of  Alline 
himself.  He  was  thus  by  far  the  most  prolific 
American  hymn  writer  of  his  day.  But  as  we 
may  well  surmise,  most  of  his  productions 
were  decidedly  commonplace.  His  book  passed 
through  several  editions,  but  only  one  of  his 
hymns  obtained  general  recognition.  This  one 
continued  in  use  for  many  years.  The  opening 
stanzas  are  as  follows : 

"Amazing  sight,  the  Saviour  stands, 

And  knocks  at  every  door! 
Ten  thousand  blessings  in  his  hands 
To  satisfy  the  poor. 

"  'Behold,'  he  saith,  'I  bleed  and  die 

To  bring  you  to  my  rest: 
Hear,  sinners,  while  I'm  passing  by, 
And  be  forever  blest.' ' 
58 


PIONEER  HYMN  WRITERS 

Belonging  to  this  same  period  were  stray  hymns 
whose  authorship  is  unknown,  but  which  were 
held  in  high  favor.  One  of  these  was  used  among 
the  Baptists.  The  Rev.  Morgan  Edwards,  who 
was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Philadelphia 
prior  to  the  Revolution,  tells  us  that  just  outside 
the  city,  on  the  bank  of  the  Schuylkill,  was  a  bap- 
tisterion,  where  the  Baptists  brought  their  candi- 
dates for  immersion.  Near  by  was  a  large  stone 
from  which  the  sermon  was  preached.  On  these 
occasions  the  "Schuylkill  Hymn"  was  sung  with 
great  fervor. 

"Jesus  master  O  discover 

Pleasure  in  us,  now  we  stand 

On  this  bank  of  Schuylkill  river, 

To  obey  thy  great  command. 

"Of  our  vows  this  stone's  a  token 

Stone  of  Witness  bear  record 
'Gainst  us,  if  our  vows  be  broken 
Or  if  we  forsake  the  Lord. 

"Hence  we  go  our  way  rejoicing 

Conscious  of  our  pleasing  God, 
FolFwing  Jesus  still  proposing 
In  the  paths  his  feet  have  trod." 

This  hymn  continued  in  use  among  the  Bap- 
tists for  many  years.  It  could  be  adapted  to  a 
particular  locality  by  changing  the  name  of  the 
river,  as,  in  New  York,  for  example,  by  using 
"Hudson"  instead  of  "Schuylkill." 

59 


CHAPTER    IV 
HYMNS  ON  DEATH  AND  PERDITION 

BERANGER,  the  French  lyric  writer,  once  ex- 
claimed, "Let  me  make  the  songs  of  the  people, 
and  I  care  not  who  makes  their  laws."  We  can 
well  believe  that  more  than  one  poet  whose  pro- 
ductions have  enriched  the  world's  hymnody 
would  have  been  ready  to  say,  "Let  me  make 
the  hymns  of  the  people,  and  I  care  not  who 
makes  their  creeds" ;  which  is  only  another  way  of 
expressing  the  fact  that  no  creed  or  set  of  creeds, 
however  venerable  and  complete,  can  exert  as 
great  an  influence  in  shaping  the  religious  faith 
and  life  of  the  masses  as  can  a  collection  of  popu- 
lar hymns. 

The  hymns  in  turn  are  the  outgrowth  of  hu- 
man belief  and  experience,  and  very  often  reflect 
with  remarkable  fidelity  the  religious  and  theo- 
logical mind  of  the  times  in  which  they  were 
written.  Indeed,  if  all  other  sources  of  informa- 
tion were  closed,  quite  a  full  and  accurate  ac- 
count of  the  general  trend  of  religious  thought 
and  feeling  during  the  past  four  hundred  years 
could  be  written  from  simply  studying  the  hymns 
of  these  centuries.  The  militant  verses  of  Mar- 
tin Luther  and  Gustavus  Adolphus,  the  raptur- 

60 


HYMNS  ON  DEATH  AND  PERDITION 

ous  songs  of  Charles  Wesley,  the  missionary  out- 
burst of  the  early  nineteenth  century,  and  the 
flood  of  social  service  hymns  of  the  last  two  dec- 
ades only  illustrate  in  a  notable  way  how 
promptly  and  accurately  the  religious  faith  and 
experience  of  a  period  are  reflected  and  inter- 
preted in  the  hymns  of  that  period. 

We  find  a  similar  illustration  in  a  certain  type 
of  hymn  which  met  with  widespread  favor  during 
a  considerable  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  and 
well  on  into  the  nineteenth.  The  Puritan  migra- 
tion, which  speedily  followed  the  coming  of  the 
Pilgrim  Fathers  to  New  England  in  1620, 
brought  to  these  shores  a  race  of  men  whose  influ- 
ence on  all  subsequent  generations  of  American 
life  has  been  by  far  the  most  potent  of  any  factor 
entering  into  the  development  of  thought  and 
practice  in  this  country.  Of  their  good  qualities 
it  is  needless  to  speak;  no  one  would  think  qf 
denying  them.  But  Puritanism  was  such  a  swift 
and  sharp  reaction  from  what  had  been,  that  in- 
evitably it  brought  with  it  some  undesirable  re- 
sults. The  typical  Puritan  was  a  man  of  iron, 
mighty  in  his  convictions,  ready  to  suffer  for  his 
faith,  but  a  faith  that  too  often  was  somber  and 
stern.  In  shunning  "the  evils  of  an  unbridled 
appetite"  he  practiced  starvation  and  imposed  it 
on  others.  A  popular  and  cruel  sport  in  the  Eng- 
land of  those  days  was  bearbaiting.  The  Puri- 

61 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

tans  severely  denounced  it,  but,  as  Macaulay  has 
acutely  observed,  "not  because  it  gave  pain  to 
the  bear,  but  because  it  gave  pleasure  to  the 
spectators." 

The  Puritanism  which  was  transplanted  to 
these  shores  grew  even  sterner  and  more  cheer- 
less than  that  of  the  Mother  Country.  The  time 
came  when  the  children  were  taught  to  sing: 

"Come,  let  us  now  forget  our  mirth, 
And  think  that  we  must  die." 

Pleasure,  however  pure  and  innocent,  was  re- 
garded with  suspicion  as  containing  the  germ  of 
evil.  The  letters  and  journals  written  in  those 
days,  especially  by  young  people,  were  supposed 
to  be  filled  with  pious  reflections  and  phrases 
which  must  have  been  as  unnatural  then  as  they 
would  be  now. 

Morbid  views  of  life  and  death  were  directly 
encouraged.  One  of  the  earliest  hymns  of 
Charles  Wesley  to  be  used  in  America  was  that 
unfortunate  production,  so  little  like  its  author, 
beginning  with  the  lugubrious  lines : 

"Ah,  lovely  appearance  of  death! 

What  sight  upon  earth  is  so  fair? 
Not  all  the  gay  pageants  that  breathe 

Can  with  a  dead  body  compare: 
With  solemn  delight  I  survey 

The  corpse,  when  the  spirit  is  fled, 
In  love  with  the  beautiful  clay, 
And  longing  to  lie  in  its  stead." 
62 


HYMNS  ON  DEATH  AND  PERDITION 

Yet  hymn  books  which  had  no  place  for  Wes- 
ley's "Love  divine,  all  loves  excelling,"  or  "Hark! 
the  herald  angels  sing,"  eagerly  included  this 
hymn  because  it  was  in  perfect  accord  with  the 
spirit  of  the  age. 

In  an  earlier  chapter  reference  was  made  to  the 
new  version  of  Watts'  Psalms  prepared  by  Joel 
Barlow  and  published  in  1786.  He  was  in- 
structed by  the  Association  of  the  Congregational 
Churches  of  Connecticut,  under  whose  direction 
the  work  was  done,  to  append  to  the  Psalms  a 
collection  of  hymns.  He  selected  seventy,  which 
he  thought  most  suitable  for  public  worship.  A 
committee  of  three  learned  divines  reviewed  these 
hymns  and  reported:  "We  have  carefully  exam- 
ined and  approved,  and  we  therefore  recommend 
them."  After  this  weighty  indorsement,  we  turn 
with  eager  anticipation  to  the  sacred  collection. 
Of  course  Watts  is  represented,  but  we  look  in 
vain  for  what  many  regard  as  his  masterpiece, 
"When  I  survey  the  wondrous  cross."  In  its 
place  we  find  this  other  from  his  pen : 

"My  thoughts  on  awful  subjects  roll, 
Damnation  and  the  dead." 

We  search  for  Charles  Wesley's  inspired 
words,  "Jesus,  Lover  of  my  soul."  They  are 
nowhere  to  be  found,  but  instead  we  have  this 
from  Watts : 

63 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"Hark,  from  the  tombs,  a  doleful  sound, 

Mine  ears  attend  the  cry— 
Ye  living  men,  come,  view  the  ground 
Where  you  must  shortly  lie." 

The  simple  fact  that  in  a  small  collection  of 
only  seventy  hymns,  to  be  used  every  Sunday 
and  at  various  week-night  gatherings,  by  young 
people  and  children,  as  well  as  by  the  aged,  such 
hymns  should  find  an  honored  place,  is  a  sufficient 
commentary  on  the  spirit  of  the  times  in  which 
the  book  was  prepared. 

But  far  more  serious,  in  subverting  men's 
faith  in  the  love  and  goodness  and  justice  of  God, 
were  the  grossly  false  views  held  concerning  fu- 
ture punishment.  Standing  in  the  old  Copps 
Hill  Burial  Ground  in  Boston,  beside  the  small 
section  of  unconsecrated  land  fenced  off  from 
the  rest  of  the  cemetery,  the  section  where  in 
olden  times  were  laid  away  the  bodies  of  unbap- 
tized  and  eternally  doomed  infants,  one  begins  to 
realize  the  heartlessness  of  a  theology  which 
taught  that  the  vast  majority  of  mankind  are  for- 
ever lost ;  that  in  the  next  world  parents  will  look 
upon  their  own  children  writhing  in  the  flames  of 
hell,  with  no  pity  or  sorrow  in  their  hearts,  but 
with  songs  of  joy  and  praise  flowing  from  their 
lips ;  a  theology  which  called  upon  candidates  for 
the  ministry  to  declare  their  willingness  to  be 
damned  for  the  glory  of  God;  that  inspired 

64 


HYMNS  ON  DEATH  AND  PERDITION 

Charles  G.  Finney,  the  most  noted  evangelist  of 
his  time,  as  late  as  the  winter  of  1829,  to  stand  be- 
fore a  vast  audience  in  New  York  and  with 
clenched  fists  and  blazing  eyes  to  cry:  "The  time 
will  come  in  the  history  of  every  lost  sinner,  when 
God  will  be  compelled  to  exert  the  utmost  of  his 
infinite  power  to  hold  the  wretch  in  existence, 
while  he  inflicts  upon  him  the  utmost  of  his  in- 
finite vengeance" — preaching  which  drove  more 
than  one  hapless  victim  into  insanity. 

But  some  valuations  were  not  the  same  a  cen- 
tury and  a  half  ago  that  they  are  now.  While 
Jonathan  Edwards  was  still  living,  the  statute 
books  of  England  enumerated  more  than  two 
hundred  crimes  for  which  a  person  might  be  put 
to  death.  Human  life  was  below  par  in  those 
days;  immortal  souls  were  also  at  a  discount. 
Eternal  punishment  was  a  staple  subject  for  the 
pulpit;  men  talked  glibly  of  the  damnation  of 
hell.  A  difference  of  a  few  million,  more  or  less, 
in  the  number  of  the  lost  signified  little. 

We  must  keep  these  facts  clearly  in  mind  if  we 
would  understand  the  hymnody  of  this  period. 
Many  of  the  hymns  which  seem  to  us  so  harsh  and 
even  revolting,  were  simply  an  expression  in 
verse  of  views  which  were  widely  and  implicitly 
held  at  that  time.  Thus  the  worshipers  could 
sing  with  lusty  voice  and  no  trace  of  mental  res- 
ervation : 

65 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"Far  in  the  deep  where  darkness  dwells, 

The  land  of  horror  and  despair; 
Justice  has  built  a  dismal  hell, 

And  laid  her  stores  of  vengeance  there. 

"Eternal  plagues  and  heavy  chains, 

Tormenting  racks  and  fiery  coals, 
And  darts  t'  inflict  immortal  pains, 
Dipped  in  the  blood  of  damned  souls." 

In  the  hymn  by  Samuel  Davies,  already 
quoted,  it  was  in  perfect  keeping  with  the  spirit 
and  language  of  the  time,  1758,  when  he  wrote  of 
sinners : 

"In  vain  for  mercy  now  they  cry; 
In  lakes  of  liquid  fire  they  lie; 
There,  on  the  flaming  billows  tost, 
Forever,  O,  forever,  lost." 

At  the  close  of  the  century,  when  Nathan 
Strong,  the  distinguished  pastor  of  the  First 
Congregational  Church  of  Hartford — of  whom 
we  shall  have  more  to  say  presently — brought  out 
his  famous  Selection  of  Hymns,  he  described  the 
fate  of  the  wicked  in  more  temperate  language. 
"The  great  Judge"  speaks: 

"Go  burn  the  chaff  in  endless  fire, 

In  flames  unquenched  consume  each  tare; 
Sinners  must  feel  my  holy  ire, 

And  sink  in  guilt  to  deep  despair." 

But  a  few  years  later,  when  Dr.  Parkinson, 
pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  New 

66 


HYMNS  ON  DEATH  AND  PERDITION 

York,  wrote  on  the  subject,  he  used  more  graphic 
terms,  declaring  that  sinners 

"Sink  to  dwell 

Among  the  infernal  howling  ghosts, 
In  blackest  shades  of  death  and  hell." 

Even  the  children  were  compelled  to  face  the 
stern  realities  of  another  world.  In  a  children's 
Song  Book  published  by  the  American  Sunday- 
School  Union  as  late  as  1826,  we  find  lines  like 
these : 

"Where  shall  a  guilty  child  retire? 

Forgotten  and  unknown? 
In  hell  I  meet  the  dreadful  fire; 
In  Heaven  the  glorious  throne." 

Many  of  the  hymns  which  were  in  high  favor 
with  the  fathers  of  a  hundred  years  ago  and  more, 
were  characterized  by  a  narrow  individualism,  an 
almost  smug  complacency  in  view  of  one's  per- 
sonal safety,  and  a  too  frequent  absence  of  any 
burning  concern  for  the  fate  of  others.  The 
traveler  between  New  York  and  Boston,  by  the 
way  of  Providence,  passes  through  Kingston,  the 
seat  of  Rhode  Island  College.  In  colonial  days 
the  place  was  known  as  Little  Rest.  Once  a 
month  services  were  held  in  the  village  church  by 
Gershum  Palmer,  an  itinerant  preacher  whose 
circuit  embraced  sixty  miles  of  wilderness.  When 
a  young  man,  some  years  before  the  Revolution, 
he  conducted  the  funeral  of  a  girl  by  the  name  of 

67 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Polly.  She  had  scandalized  the  church  people 
by  her  giddy  behavior,  and  when  she  died,  after 
a  brief  illness,  there  appeared  some  verses  entitled 
"Wicked  Polly."  The  only  excuse  for  quoting 
this  absurd  doggerel  is  the  fact  that  it  is  an  excel- 
lent example  of  a  certain  class  of  fugitive  verses 
which  were  in  circulation  in  colonial  New  Eng- 
land, especially  in  the  rural  sections,  and  which 
were  designed  to  strike  terror  to  the  hearts  of  the 
ungodly.  "Wicked  Polly"  was  sung  at  Little 
Rest,  and  doubtless  at  other  places,  on  occasions 
when  it  was  felt  that  the  young  people  needed 
special  warning.  One  Sunday,  at  the  age  of 
ninety-two,  Father  Palmer  himself  sang  it  as  a 
solo.  The  venerable  man  was  assisted  to  the  pul- 
pit by  two  deacons,  and  as  with  quavering  voice 
he  uttered  the  words,  the  people  listened  with 
breathless  attention: 

"O  young  people,  hark  while  I  relate 
The  story  of  poor  Polly's  fate! 
She  was  a  lady  young  and  fair, 
And  died  a-groaning  in  despair. 

"She  would  go  to  balls  and  dance  and  play, 
In  spite  of  all  her  friends  could  say; 
Til  turn,'  said  she,  'when  I  am  old, 
And  God  will  then  receive  my  soul': 

"One  Sabbath  morning  she  fell  sick; 
Her  stubborn  heart  began  to  ache. 
She  cries,  'Alas,  my  days  are  spent! 
It  is  too  late  now  to  repent.' 
68 


"She  called  her  mother  to  her  bed, 
Her  eyes  were  rolling  in  her  head; 
A  ghastly  look  she  did  assume; 
She  cries,  'Alas!   I  am  undone.' 

"  'My  loving  father,  you  I  leave; 
For  wicked  Polly  do  not  grieve; 
For  I  must  burn  forevermore, 
When  thousand  thousand  years  are  o'er/ 

'Your  counsels  I  have  slighted  all, 
My  carnal  appetite  to  fill. 
When  I  am  dead,  remember  well 
Your  wicked  Polly  groans  in  hell.' 

"She  (w)rung  her  hands  and  groaned  and  cried 
And  gnawed  her  tongue  before  she  died; 
Her  nails  turned  black,  her  voice  did  fail, 
She  died  and  left  this  lower  vale. 

"May  this  a  warning  be  to  those 
That  love  the  ways  that  Polly  chose, 
Turn  from  your  sins,  lest  you,  like  her, 
Shall  leave  this  world  in  black  despair." 

It  is  not  surprising  that  a  young  girl  who 
was  present  on  this  occasion  was  so  terrified  that 
she  could  never  forget  it,  and  from  her  lips  the 
story  has  come  down  to  our  own  times. 

Such  a  theology,  whether  expressed  in  sermon 
or  in  hymn,  was  bound  to  leave  its  mark.  A  cer- 
tain type  of  mind  was  not  seriously  affected,  but 
timid,  sensitive  souls  suffered  untold  distress. 
How  many  were  driven  into  insanity  will  never 
be  known,  but  the  tragic  fact  is  on  record  that 
in  nearly  every  large  family  some  member  was 

69 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

chained.  No  wonder  that  the  protest  which  had 
long  been  slumbering  at  length  broke  out  in  vig- 
orous reaction.  In  1800,  forty-two  years  after 
the  death  of  Jonathan  Edwards,  so  sweeping  had 
been  the  change  that  all  the  churches  in  Boston, 
with  one  exception,  were  occupied  by  Unitarian 
preachers.  But  we  must  remember  that  the 
Unitarianism  of  that  day  was  not  what  it 
is  now.  It  was  not  so  much  a  protest  against 
Trinitarianism  as  against  certain  teachings  of  the 
older  theology.  The  human  heart  demanded  that 
the  Fatherhood  of  God  be  given  as  large  a  place 
as  his  Sovereignty,  that  the  divine  Love  and 
Mercy  be  made  at  least  co-emphatic  with  the  di- 
vine Justice  and  Wrath.  Several  decades  passed 
before  this  was  fully  accomplished,  but  an  excel- 
lent beginning  was  made  more  than  a  century 
ago. 

In  1795,  Jeremy  Belknap,  a  prominent  Bos- 
ton pastor,  published  a  hymn  book,  which  for 
many  years  was  held  in  high  favor.  It  was 
avowedly  Unitarian,  and  yet  so  far  as  its  theology 
is  concerned  it  could  be  used  in  the  most  orthodox 
communion  of  to-day.  In  his  preface  the  com- 
piler said,  "It  is  humbly  apprehended  that  a 
grateful  and  affectionate  address  to  the  exalted 
Saviour  of  mankind,  or  a  hymn  in  honor  of  the 
Eternal  Spirit,  cannot  be  disagreeable  to  the 
mind  of  God."  The  opening  hymn  was  by 

70 


HYMNS  ON  DEATH  AND  PERDITION 

Thomas  Scott,  an  English  clergyman,  and  was  a 
protest  against  a  theology  of  terror  and  coercion : 

"Absurd  and  vain  attempt!  to  bind 
With  iron  chains,  the  freeborn  mind! 
To  force  conviction,  and  reclaim 
The  wandering,  by  destructive  flame!" 

A  number  of  Watts'  hymns  were  included,  and 
whenever  Belknap  thought  an  improvement 
could  be  made  by  addition  or  otherwise,  he  did 
not  hesitate  to  try  his  skill,  with  more  success, 
it  must  be  admitted,  than  is  usual  in  such  cases. 
For  example,  Watts  concluded  a  hymn  on  re- 
pentance with  the  words : 

"Strike,  mighty  grace,  our  flinty  souls, 

Till  melting  waters  flow; 
And  deep  contrition  drown  our  eyes, 
In  unassembled  woe." 

Belknap  added  this  stanza : 

"But  flowing  tears  cannot  suffice, 

To  make  repentance  sure; 
Then  let  our  hearts  be  purify 'd 
As  Christ  the  Lord  is  pure." 

The  whole  book  was  pervaded  with  this  evan- 
gelical spirit,  and  at  the  same  time  was  free  from 
the  horrors  which  marred  so  much  of  the  hym- 
nody  of  that  period. 

Of  the  same  general  tone  was  the  collection  of 
hymns  made  for  the  Universalists,  by  the  Rev. 
George  Richards,  in  1792.  For  several  years  he 
was  chaplain  in  the  United  States  Navy,  after- 

71 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

ward  becoming  a  settled  pastor.  He  wrote  a 
number  of  hymns,  including  the  one,  still  occa- 
sionally sung,  opening  with  the  stanzas : 

"O  Christ,  what  gracious  words, 

Are  ever,  ever  thine; 
Thy  voice  is  music  to  the  soul, 
And  life  and  peace  divine. 

"Good,  everlasting  good, 

Glad  tidings  full  of  joy, 
Flow  from  thy  lips,  the  lips  of  truth, 
And  flow  without  alloy." 

Here  again,  in  this  collection,  while  there  is  an 
absence  of  the  terrifying,  the  great  doctrines  of 
the  evangelical  faith  receive  full  emphasis.  For 
example,  the  reality  of  human  guilt  and  the  di- 
vine remedy  are  set  forth  in  such  lines  as  these: 

"Ye  scarlet-color'd  sinners  come; 
Jesus  the  Lord,  invites  you  home." 

In  his  preface,  Mr.  Richards  said:  "Most  of  the 
Hymns  in  this  little  volume  are  inscribed  to  his 
[Jesus']  solemn  praise;  for  the  worthiness  of  the 
Lamb  is  the  only  theme  of  heaven,  and  ought  to 
be  the  only  theme  on  earth." 

These  and  other  hymn  books  of  the  so-called 
"liberal  faith,"  expressed  the  growing  revolt 
against  certain  teachings  of  the  older  theology, 
but  the  nineteenth  century  was  well  advanced  be- 
fore the  churches  at  large  began  to  discard  the 
harsh  severity  of  the  earlier  days. 

72 


CHAPTER  V 
THE    OLD-TIME    SINGING 

To  sing  or  not  to  sing? — was  a  live  question 
among  the  early  settlers  in  New  England.  It 
was  not  a  controversy  over  secular  songs,  for  by 
general  consent  these  were  tabooed  as  inventions 
of  the  devil.  Nor  was  there  any  argument  over 
the  use  of  hymns  of  "human  composure"  such  as 
arose  in  a  heated  form  at  a  later  time.  In  those 
primitive  days  there  were  very  few  such  hymns  in 
existence,  and  whether  few  or  many,  no  one  for 
a  moment  would  have  dared  to  suggest  that  they 
be  used  in  public  worship.  The  Psalms  were 
inspired  from  on  high,  and  it  would  have  been  a 
profanation  of  the  house  of  God  to  introduce 
man-made  hymns. 

But  whether  it  was  right  to  sing  even  the 
Psalms  was  matter  of  disagreement.  To  be  sure, 
most  of  the  people  favored  it,  but  a  respectable 
and  outspoken  minority  was  opposed.  These 
"Antipsalmists,"  as  they  were  called,  offered  all 
manner  of  objections.  Did  not  Paul  say  specifi- 
cally, "making  melody  in  your  hearts"?  No  men- 
tion of  "lips."  Moreover,  suppose  an  unbeliever 
should  chance  to  be  in  the  congregation  and 

73 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

should  make  bold  to  sing  holy  words — what  sac- 
rilege! Or  in  an  unguarded  moment  a  female 
might  join  in  with  the  males,  and  then  the  apos- 
tolic injunction  that  the  "women  keep  silence  in 
the  Churches"  would  be  disobeyed.  "By  no 
means,"  said  they,  "let  there  be  singing  in  the 
house  of  God !" 

But  there  were  champions  on  the  other  side. 
We  have  already  referred  to  the  preface  to  the 
Bay  Psalm  Book  by  Richard  Mather,  and  also 
to  the  tract  on  this  subject  written  by  Rev.  John 
Cotton  in  1647.  Both  men  were  clear  and  em- 
phatic. Mr.  Cotton  said:  "Wee  lay  downe  this 
conclusion  for  a  Doctrine  of  Truth :  That  singing 
of  Psalms  with  a  lively  voyce,  is  an  holy  Duty  of 
God's  Worship.1'  He  took  up  all  the  objections 
and  answered  them  so  completely  that  gradually 
the  protests  died  out. 

But  although  Psalm-singing  was  an  accepted 
part  of  the  service  in  most  of  the  New  England 
Churches,  its  quality  was  nothing  to  boast  of. 
Some  of  the  early  Pilgrims  had  learned  to  sing 
by  note  before  crossing  the  sea.  Speaking  of  the 
company  that  came  over  in  the  Mayflower, 
Governor  Winslow  said:  "Wee  refreshed  our- 
selves with  singing  of  psalms,  making  joyful 
melody  in  our  hearts  as  well  as  with  the  voyce, 
there  being  many  of  our  congregation  very  ex- 
pert in  music,  and  indeed  it  was  the  sweetest 

74 


THE  OLD-TIME  SINGING 

music  that  mine  ears  ever  heard."  They  tried  to 
teach  their  children  and  grandchildren,  but  New 
England  life  in  those  days  was  a  severe  and  oft- 
times  a  desperate  struggle  for  existence,  and 
music  was  neglected. 

With  the  descendants  of  the  original  Pilgrims 
and  the  Puritans  alike,  the  downward  trend  was 
rapid  and  inevitable.  Many  of  the  Psalm-tunes 
which  the  Fathers  brought  over  with  them  were 
entirely  forgotten,  and  for  long  years  not  half  a 
dozen  tunes  were  capable  of  being  sung  by  the 
average  congregation ;  and  even  those  few,  in  the 
absence  of  all  rule  and  method,  became  so  cor- 
rupted that  no  two  persons  sang  them  alike. 
Music  was  at  low  ebb.  We  know  that  as  late  as 
1673,  and  probably  still  later,  there  was  not  a 
single  musician  by  profession  in  all  New  Eng- 
land. The  time  had  not  yet  come  in  this  new 
land  for  the  cultivation  of  the  fine  arts. 

Nor  did  the  version  of  the  Psalms  in  common 
use  lend  itself  to  enthusiastic  singing.  In  the 
Bay  Psalm  Book,  a  small  number  of  the  Psalms 
were  in  Long  Meter,  a  few  in  the  so-called  Halle- 
lujah Meter,  or  four  lines  of  six  syllables  and 
four  of  four  syllables,  and  all  the  rest,  fully 
ninety  per  cent,  were  in  Common  Meter.  Such 
wearisome  sameness  was  depressing  to  begin  with. 
Then  many  of  the  Psalms  were  of  excessive 
length,  running  as  high  as  one  hundred  and  thirty 

75 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

lines,  nor  under  any  circumstances  might  a  Psalm 
be  divided. 

It  was  the  custom  to  line  out  the  Psalms.  This 
was  known  as  "deaconing,"  as  it  was  done  by  one 
of  the  deacons  appointed  for  the  purpose,  and 
nothing  more  monotonous  can  be  imagined  than 
the  dull  sing-song  style  in  which  the  lines  were 
usually  read.  This  custom  of  singing  a  line  at  a 
time  broke  up  the  music  into  disconnected  frag- 
ments, so  that  occasionally  a  congregation  be- 
came sidetracked  and  ended  with  another  tune 
than  the  one  "pitched"  at  the  start. 

As  time  went  on  conditions  grew  steadily 
worse.  Rev.  Thomas  Walter,  writing  early  in 
the  eighteenth  century,  made  this  indignant  com- 
ment: "Our  tunes  are  left  to  the  Mercy  of  every 
unskilful  Throat  to  chop  and  alter,  to  twist  and 
change,  according  to  their  infinitely  divers  and 
no  less  Odd  Humours  and  Fancies.  I  have  my- 
self paused  twice  in  one  note  to  take  breath.  No 
two  Men  in  the  Congregation  quaver  alike  or  to- 
gether, it  sounds  in  the  Ears  of  a  Good  Judge 
like  five  hundred  different  Tunes  roared  out  at 
the  same  Time,  with  perpetual  Interfearings 
with  one  another."  The  drawling  went  to  such  a 
length  that  it  took  half  an  hour  to  sing  one  of  the 
longer  Psalms,  the  people  standing  all  that  time. 
It  is  related  of  the  eminent  Dr.  West  that  one 
Sabbath  morning,  after  beginning  the  service,  he 

76 


THE  OLD-TIME  SINGING 

discovered  that  he  had  forgotten  to  bring  with 
him  the  manuscript  of  his  sermon.  Not  in  the 
least  disturbed,  he  gave  out  a  Psalm,  quietly 
slipped  from  the  pulpit,  walked  to  the  parsonage, 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  and  was  back  in  his 
place  long  before  the  Psalm  was  finished. 

A  glaring  illustration  of  the  depth  of  musical 
ignorance  among  the  New  England  colonists  of 
two  hundred  years  ago,  is  the  fact  that  many 
people  had  never  heard  of  such  a  thing  as  singing 
by  note.  It  came  as  a  startling,  and  too  often  an 
offensive,  revelation,  that  a  congregation  could 
actually  begin  and  close  a  verse  together.  As  a 
rule  each  worshiper  was  a  law  unto  himself,  sing- 
ing his  own  tune  and  in  his  own  time,  with  little 
or  no  regard  to  anyone  else.  The  ministers  were 
educated  men  and  represented  the  highest  cul- 
ture of  the  community,  and  they  deplored  the  aw- 
ful condition  of  church-singing.  They  earnestly 
exhorted  the  people  to  mend  their  ways,  but 
with  such  poor  results  that  in  many  parishes  it 
became  an  open  question  whether  it  would  not  be 
to  the  glory  of  God  to  abandon  song  altogether. 
And  yet  no  more  striking  evidence  could  be 
found  of  the  natural  devoutness  of  the  Puritan 
mind  than  the  fact  that  Psalm-singing  in  home 
and  church,  wretched  as  it  might  be,  was  a  genu- 
ine means  of  grace.  Husbandman  or  traveler,  in 
field  or  road,  who  caught  the  sound  of  a  Psalm- 

77 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

tune,  instinctively  removed  his  hat  and  bowed  his 
head,  as  in  the  presence  of  God. 

At  last  there  began  a  change  for  the  better. 
One  of  the  leaders  in  the  reform  was  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Walter.  He  had  graduated  from  Har- 
vard, and  become  assistant  to  his  father,  who  was 
pastor  at  Roxbury.  We  have  already  seen  what 
he  thought  of  the  lamentable  state  of  affairs  all 
over  New  England.  Dark  as  the  outlook  was, 
he  determined,  with  the  zeal  of  youth,  to  make  a 
supreme  effort  at  improvement.  In  1721  he 
wrote  a  book  entitled,  The  grounds  and  rules  of 
musick  explained;  or,  An  introduction  to  the  art 
of  singing  by  note.  It  made  a  great  stir  and  did 
good  by  setting  the  people  to  thinking  and  talk- 
ing. The  year  before  Walter's  book  appeared, 
another  champion  of  a  better  way,  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Symmes,  pastor  at  Bradford,  wrote  an 
essay  on  "The  Reasonableness  of  Regular  Sing- 
ing," in  which  he  made  caustic  comment  on  the 
"great  indecency"  with  which  this  part  of  the 
service  was  conducted.  Replying  to  those  who 
insisted  upon  the  old  paths,  because,  forsooth, 
the  fathers  had  used  them,  he  gave  this  interest- 
ing bit  of  information:  "There  are  many  persons 
of  credit  now  living,  children  and  grandchildren 
of  the  first  settlers  of  New  England,  who  can 
very  well  remember  that  their  ancestors  sung  by 
note,  and  they  learned  to  sing  of  them." 

78 


THE  OLD-TIME  SINGING 

Over  this  question  of  "singing  by  rule"  a 
heated  controversy  raged  for  years.  It  was  a 
subject  of  fiery  discussion  in  home  and  in  church. 
Some  parishes  were  almost  rent  in  pieces.  Even 
Bradford,  in  spite  of  the  presence  and  influence 
of  Mr.  Symmes,  was  a  center  of  excitement.  He 
sadly  recorded  the  fact  that  "A  great  part  of 
the  town  has  for  near  half  a  year,  been  in  a  mere 
flame  about  it."  One  indignant  objector  to  the 
new  method  wrote  a  letter  of  protest  which  was 
printed  in  the  New  England  Chronicle:  "Truly 
I  have  a  great  jealousy  that  if  we  begin  to  sing 
by  rule,  the  next  thing  will  be  to  pray  by  rule  and 
preach  by  rule,  and  then  comes  popery"  Here 
we  have  the  secret  of  much  of  the  opposition  to  a 
change.  While  some  were  so  utterly  void  of  all 
musical  sense,  and  so  blindly  devoted  to  what  they 
had  always  been  accustomed  to,  that  the  most 
hopeless  confusion  and  discord  sounded  sweet  to 
their  ears,  many  others  lived  in  mortal  dread  of 
even  the  remotest  hint  of  an  approach  to  any  of 
the  hated  forms  and  ceremonies  of  Rome.  Bet- 
ter far  the  vilest  singing  or  none  at  all,  than  any- 
thing which  in  the  least  savored  of  the  practice  of 
anti-Christ.  The  excitement  continued  for  years, 
especially  in  the  small  towns  and  rural  districts. 
Sermons  and  books  and  pamphlets  favoring  the 
change  followed  each  other  in  rapid  succession. 
In  1723,  Mr.  Symmes  sent  out  a  second  appeal, 

79 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

and  this  time  went  so  far  as  to  urge  the  opening 
of  singing  schools,  where  young  people  could 
learn  to  sing  by  note. 

Slowly  but  surely  the  reform  gained  headway. 
Presently  help  came  from  an  unexpected  quar- 
ter. "It  was  in  the  latter  part  of  December, 
(1734)  that  the  Spirit  of  God  began  extraordi- 
narily to  set  in,  and  wonderfully  to  work  among 
us."  Thus  wrote  Jonathan  Edwards  in  his  Nar- 
rative of  the  Great  Awakening.  It  is  a  signifi- 
cant fact  that  revivals  of  religion  have  almost  al- 
ways been  marked  by  outbursts  of  song.  In  the 
sixteenth  century,  the  psalms  and  hymns  of 
Luther  became  so  popular  that  Romanists  com- 
plained that  the  whole  nation  was  singing  itself 
into  the  Lutheran  doctrine,  and  when  the  move- 
ment spread  into  England  it  was  bitterly  re- 
ferred to  by  the  papal  party  as  "an  infectious 
frenzy  of  sacred  song."  No  feature  of  the  evan- 
gelical revival  under  the  Wesleys  was  more  con- 
spicuous than  the  singing  by  the  people. 

When  the  Great  Awakening  began  in  New 
England,  it  was  quickly  seen  that  the  old  style  of 
Psalm-singing,  in  vogue  for  a  hundred  years, 
would  never  meet  the  new  conditions.  The  rap- 
turous joy  of  a  newly  found  faith  was  bound  to 
express  itself,  albeit  time-honored  forms  were 
scattered  to  the  winds.  The  church  at  North- 
ampton, of  which  Edwards  was  the  pastor, 

80 


THE  OLD-TIME  SINGING 

though  almost  on  the  western  frontier,  was  the 
strongest  in  New  England,  in  wealth  and  num- 
bers, outside  of  Boston.  It  was  also  quite  ex- 
ceptional in  the  quality  of  its  singing.  With 
pardonable  pride  the  pastor  could  say:  "Our 
Congregation  excelled  all  that  ever  I  knew  in 
the  external  part  of  the  duty  before  [the  re- 
vival began],  the  men  generally  carrying  regu- 
larly and  well  three  parts  of  music  and  the  women 
a  part  by  themselves" — a  marvel  for  those  days. 
But  after  the  new  spirit  came  upon  the  church, 
"Our  public  praises  were  then  greatly  en- 
livened"; the  people  "were  evidently  wont  to  sing 
with  unusual  elevation  of  heart  and  voice,  which 
made  the  duty  pleasant  indeed."  Psalm-singing 
in  the  homes  was  revived,  and  such  was  the  enthu- 
siasm that  groups  went  about  the  streets  singing, 
to  the  scandal  of  the  more  sober-minded. 

The  Awakening  extended  far  and  wide,  reach- 
ing more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  towns,  and 
wherever  it  went  there  was  the  same  story  of  the 
people  "abounding  in  the  divine  exercise"  of 
singing.  Critics  complained  of  a  lack  of  rever- 
ence and  decorum;  they  found  fault  because  in 
the  new  order  of  things  song  was  given  so  prom- 
inent a  place  in  public  worship;  but  most  of  all 
were  they  offended  because  under  the  influence 
of  the  revival,  hymns  of  "human  composure" 
were  being  introduced.  Watts'  hymns  were  first 

81 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

reprinted  in  America  in  1739,  and  met  with  im- 
mediate favor  wherever  the  revival  had  gone. 
They  were  singable,  as  the  Bay  Psalm  versions, 
for  the  most  part,  were  not ;  and,  unlike  the  latter, 
they  responded  to  the  eager  heart-cravings  of  the 
converts.  Happily,  in  all  these  matters  Jona- 
than Edwards  was  a  progressive.  He  welcomed 
the  improvement  in  singing,  and  while  he  uttered 
a  word  of  caution,  he  by  no  means  repressed  the 
exuberance  of  the  people.  He  loved  the  Psalm 
Book  and  stoutly  resisted  the  tendency  in  some 
places  to  entirely  displace  it,  but  he  added,  "I 
know  of  no  obligation  we  are  under  to  confine 
ourselves  to  it."  He  was  quite  fearless  in  saying 
that  it  was  "really  needful  that  we  should  have 
some  other  songs  than  the  Psalms  of  David." 
Thus  it  was  that  the  Great  Awakening  became  a 
very  important  factor  in  aiding  the  reform  in 
church  singing  in  New  England,  which  got  under 
way  in  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

The  victory  of  the  reformers  led  to  several 
innovations.  As  "singing  by  rule"  came  to  be  the 
custom,  it  was  soon  found  desirable  to  organize 
singing  schools.  The  idea  was  immensely  popu- 
lar, especially  among  the  young  people.  It  gave 
them  an  opportunity,  so  long  denied,  to  develop 
their  musical  talents,  and,  what  doubtless  was 
even  more  pleasing  to  many,  it  afforded  a  bit  of 
diversion.  How  much  this  meant  back  in  those 

82 


THE  OLD-TIME  SINGING 

stern  old  Puritan  days,  when  the  stricter  Church- 
men looked  askance  at  the  most  harmless  pleas- 
ures, it  is  difficult  for  us  to  realize.  Social  inter- 
course was  very  limited,  and  there  was  but  little 
to  break  the  dull  monotony  of  daily  life.  On  the 
Sabbath  the  services  were  long  and  wearisome; 
to  be  sure,  the  people  came  together,  but  woe 
unto  the  uncircumcised  of  heart  who  in  an  un- 
guarded moment  forgot  the  solemn  restraints  of 
that  holy  day!  On  Thursday  evening,  old  and 
young  gathered  for  the  mid-week  lecture,  most 
likely  on  one  of  the  Five  Points  of  Calvinism,  or 
a  kindred  theme — not  exactly  a  diversion !  So  it 
was,  that  when  singing  schools  were  introduced 
they  received  an  enthusiastic  welcome.  Were 
they  not  for  the  glory  of  God's  service?  This  si- 
lenced most  critics.  Care  was  taken  to  find  a 
suitable  meeting  place.  One  of  the  old  masters 
laid  down  this  rule:  "Choose  a  large,  tight  room, 
if  possible,  where  a  little  fire  will  answer,  for 
large  fires  are  hurtful  to  the  voice." 

The  logical  outcome  of  the  singing  school  was 
the  choir,  and  this  in  turn  did  away  with  the  time- 
honored  custom  of  "deaconing"  the  hymns,  a 
custom  which  grew  up  at  a  period  when  Psalm 
Books  were  scarce  and  some  were  unable  to  read. 
Usually  a  prominent  deacon  was  chosen  for  this 
important  task  of  lining-out  the  hymn  or  Psalm. 
It  was  also  his  duty  to  set  the  tune,  which,  in  the 

83 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

absence  of  any  musical  instrument,  was  by  no 
means  a  simple  matter.  We  read  in  colonial 
annals  that  the  eminent  jurist,  Samuel  Sewall, 
afterward  chief -justice  of  Massachusetts,  was 
appointed  to  this  worthy  office  in  the  church  of 
which  he  was  a  member.  While  occasionally  his 
Diary  records  with  pride  that  he  "set  the  psalm 
well,"  he  frequently  had  his  trials.  Under  date 
of  December  28th,  1705,  we  have  the  following 
entry:  "Mr.  Willard  Preaches  very  excellently. 
Spake  to  me  to  set  the  Tune ;  I  intended  Wind- 
sor, and  fell  into  High-Dutch,  and  then  essay- 
ing to  set  another  Tune,  went  into  a  Key  much 
too  high.  So  I  pray'd  Mr.  White  to  set  it." 
Unseemly  levity  broke  out  among  the  worldly, 
and  the  saints  were  scandalized.  The  good  dea- 
con went  home  overwhelmed  with  shame  and  sor- 
row. In  his  Diary  he  added,  "The  Lord  humble 
me  and  Instruct  me,  that  I  should  be  occasion  of 
any  Interruption  in  the  Worship  of  God." 

It  was  scenes  like  this  that  hastened  the  com- 
ing of  choirs,  and  yet  in  every  church  there  were 
some  who  stoutly  opposed  any  change.  One  old 
leader  who  had  attempted  to  "deacon"  the  Psalm 
as  usual,  and  had  been  sung  down  by  the  newly- 
installed  choir,  waited  till  they  were  done,  and 
then  calmly  took  his  revenge.  He  arose,  opened 
his  Psalm  Book,  and  announced,  "Now  let  the 
people  of  the  Lord  sing!"  After  prolonged  con- 

84 


THE  OLD-TIME  SINGING 

troversy  it  was  finally  voted  to  adopt  the  new 
plan  in  the  Meeting  House  in  Worcester,  Massa- 
chusetts. But  the  historian  relates  that  on  "the 
Sabbath  succeeding,  after  the  hymn  had  been 
read  by  the  minister,  the  aged  and  venerable 
Deacon  Chamberlain,  unwilling  to  desert  the  cus- 
tom of  his  fathers,  rose  and  read  the  first  line 
according  to  the  usual  practice.  The  singers, 
prepared  to  carry  the  alteration  into  effect,  pro- 
ceeded without  pausing  at  the  conclusion.  The 
white-haired  officer  of  the  church,  with  the  full 
power  of  his  voice,  read  on,  until  the  louder  notes 
of  the  collected  body  overpowered  the  attempt  to 
resist  the  progress  of  improvement,  and  the  dea- 
con, deeply  mortified  at  the  triumph  of  musical 
reformation,  seized  his  hat,  and  retired  from  the 
meeting-house  in  tears.'*  With  merciless  glee 
his  foes  pressed  their  advantage.  "His  conduct 
was  censured  by  the  church,  and  he  was  for  a 
time  deprived  of  its  communion,  for  absenting 
himself  from  the  public  services  of  the  Sabbath." 
The  trouble  was  widespread,  nearly  every  com- 
munity being  more  or  less  involved,  and  in  some 
places  the  bitterness  continued  for  years.  It 
was  inevitable  that  the  progressives  should 
finally  win  out,  but  in  many  churches,  especially 
in  the  rural  districts,  the  old  custom  of  lining  out 
the  hymns  lingered  till  the  middle  of  the  last 
century. 

85 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Nor  are  we  to  suppose  that  the  reformers  had 
no  trials  of  their  own.  The  choirs  were  volun- 
teer and  frequently  their  singing  was  wretched. 
More  than  once,  in  utter  despair,  the  minister  was 
driven  to  open  rebuke,  like  the  Rev.  T.  Bellamy, 
of  whom  it  is  related  that  after  a  peculiarly  atro- 
cious performance,  he  read  another  Psalm,  and 
then  called  to  his  choir :  "You  must  try  again,  for 
it  is  impossible  to  preach  after  such  singing!" 

No  minister  in  New  England  strove  more  zeal- 
ously to  develop  a  good  choir  than  did  William 
Bentley,  for  many  years  pastor  of  the  well-known 
East  Church,  Salem,  Massachusetts.  He  was  a 
Harvard  graduate,  he  understood  music,  and  he 
wanted  respectable  singing;  but  what  difficulties 
he  met  with!  His  diaries  are  full  of  entries  like 
this:  "Most  wretched  fate  attends  our  singing. 
But  few  present  this  evening.  We  proposed  to 
shut  the  school  entirely."  Then  came  a  fresh 
start.  "This  evening,  for  the  first  time,  our  new 
Singing  School  was  opened.  Forty  youths  of 
both  sexes  appeared,  and  with  the  addition  of 
some  old  scattered  singers  a  good  prospect 
opens."  But  there  was  no  money  even  to  buy  the 
needed  music.  "The  sums  to  be  appropriated  are 
such  as  remain  after  my  salary  is  paid.  The 
salary  for  no  one  year  ever  was  paid,  therefore 
no  such  sums  remain."  On  slight  provocation  the 
choir  would  strike;  then  the  weary  comment: 

86 


THE  OLD-TIME  SINGING 

"This  [Sun]  day  without  singing."  The  dis- 
order was  scandalous.  "The  disgust  [in  the  con- 
gregation] is  increasing.  Our  ancestors  sung 
from  devotion — but  what  is  a  choir,  without  de- 
cency of  manners,  without  any  conception  of  re- 
ligion," etc.  And  all  this  in  one  of  the  leading 
churches  of  the  day!  Quite  evident  that  our  for- 
bears had  troubles  of  their  own  with  the  church 
music! 

In  1770,  there  appeared  in  Boston  a  book  en- 
titled The  New  England  Psalm  Singer.  It  was 
by  William  Billings,  an  eccentric  genius,  who,  in 
spite  of  his  oddities,  was  destined  to  make  a  deep 
and  lasting  impression  on  musical  history  in  this 
country.  His  personal  appearance  was  against 
him.  He  used  to  be  called  the  American  Cy- 
clops, because  he  was  blind  in  one  eye.  One  leg 
was  shorter  than  the  other  and  one  of  his  arms 
was  partly  withered.  But  none  of  these  things, 
nor  the  fact  that  he  came  from  very  humble  par- 
entage, disturbed  him.  He  followed  the  trade  of 
tanner,  but  he  reveled  in  music,  and  this  became 
his  real  business.  He  was  self-taught,  happily 
so,  for  the  schools  would  have  spoiled  him.  While 
working  in  the  tannery,  he  was  constantly  bum- 
ming some  new  tune.  He  kept  a  piece  of  chalk 
at  hand,  and  whenever  a  striking  melody  oc- 
curred to  him,  he  would  at  once  write  it  down  en 
the  wall  or  on  a  side  of  leather. 

87 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Billings  came  to  be  known  as  the  Father  of 
New  England  Psalmody.  For  fifty  years  the 
colonists  had  been  gradually  improving  their 
church  music,  and  now  the  time  was  ripe  for  a 
more  decided  advance.  Watts'  Psalms  and 
Hymns  were  coming  into  general  use,  and  there 
was  a  growing  demand  for  a  greater  variety 
of  tunes,  and  tunes  with  more  life  and  movement. 
When  Billings'  Psalm  Singer  appeared,  it  made 
a  sensation.  Though  not  a  musician  in  a  techni- 
cal sense,  he  understood  the  popular  craving,  and 
he  knew  how  to  produce  melodies  that  delighted 
the  people  and  that  set  them  to  singing  as  they 
had  never  sung  before.  More  than  this,  he  was 
an  ardent  patriot,  and  those  were  patriotic  times. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  years  had  passed  since  the 
Mayflower  brought  over  the  first  Pilgrims,  and 
young  America  had  found  herself  and  was  al- 
ready preparing  to  declare  her  independence. 

At  this  critical  juncture  our  tanner-musician 
appeared.  Francis  Hopkinson  and  James  Lyon, 
both  of  Philadelphia,  had  already  written  some 
melodies  which  had  found  limited  use,  but  never 
before  had  a  New  Englander  attempted  to  com- 
pose tunes.  Billings  was  a  pioneer,  and  his 
Psalm  Singer,  with  its  forceful  originality,  struck 
a  new  note  and  strongly  appealed  to  the  national 
pride.  All  through  the  following  years  its  author 
was  at  the  forefront  in  the  struggle  for  freedom. 

88 


THE  OLD-TIME  SINGING 

Patriotic  songs  were  few,  and  so  Billings  bor- 
rowed what  he  could  and  wrote  some  of  his  own. 
He  often  paraphrased  Psalms,  adapting  them  to 
present  conditions,  as  the  137th  Psalm,  "By  the 
rivers  of  Babylon  we  sat  down  and  wept,"  which 
he  changed  to  "By  the  rivers  of  Watertown  we 
sat  down  and  wept,  when  we  remember  thee,  O 
Boston !"  The  British  were  occupying  Boston  at 
the  time.  The  song  beginning  with  the  follow- 
ing lines,  written  by  him  and  sung  to  his  own 
tune  of  Chester,  was  called  the  Battle  Hymn  of 
the  Revolution,  and  was  almost  as  famous  in  its 
day  as  the  Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic  at  a 
later  time: 

"Let  tyrants  shake  their  iron  rods, 

And  Slavery  clank  her  galling  chains, 
We  see  them  not,  we  trust  in  God, 
New  England's  God  forever  reigns. 

"The  foe  comes  on  with  haughty  stride, 

Our  troops  advance  with  martial  noise; 
Their  veterans  flee  before  our  arms, 
And  generals  yield  to  beardless  boys." 

Everywhere,  in  church  and  home,  by  the  chil- 
dren and  the  aged,  these  words  were  sung  witli 
passionate  fervor.  The  soldiers  knew  them  by 
heart,  and  to  the  sound  of  fife  and  drum  they  sang 
them  as  they  advanced  to  meet  the  foe.  This 
Battle  Hymn  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  win- 
ning of  the  war. 

89 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

The  Psalm  Singer  opened  a  new  era  for  Psalm- 
ody in  the  colonies.  It  was  so  different  from 
anything  that  had  gone  before.  The  variety,  the 
animation,  the  exuberant  freedom  of  movement, 
accorded  well  with  the  new  spirit  of  indepen- 
dence. Billings'  Psalm  tunes  were  not  only  fa- 
vorites in  the  church  service;  the  soldiers  loved 
them  and  they  were  sung  in  camp  and  on  the 
battle-field. 

The  new  style  of  hymn-music  which  he  intro- 
duced and  for  which  he  is  best  remembered, 
known  as  the  "fuguing-tune,"  had  come  over 
from  England.  "In  these  tunes,"  says  Professor 
Peter  C.  Lutkin,  "instead  of  the  four  parts  sing- 
ing together  in  the  ordinary  way,  one  part  would 
lead  off  with  an  animated  phrase,  which  would 
be  imitated  in  one  or  more  of  the  remaining  parts, 
somewhat  after  the  style  of  a  fugue."  And  so 
Billings  called  his  book  the  Fuguing  Psalm 
Singer.  He  defended  the  innovation  with  great 
spirit.  "It  has  more  than  twenty  times  the  power 
of  the  old  slow  tunes.  Now  the  solemn  bass  de- 
mands the  attention,  next  the  manly  tenor,  now 
the  lofty  counter,  now  the  volatile  treble.  Now 
here !  Now  there !  Now  here  again !  Oh  ecstatic, 
push  on,  ye  sons  of  harmony."  His  own  enthu- 
siasm became  contagious.  The  new  style  swept 
through  the  colonial  towns  and  villages  like  wild- 
fire. 

90 


THE  OLD-TIME  SINGING 

What  greatly  helped  Billings  was  the  fact  that 
he  himself  was  a  singer.  He  had  a  stentorian 
voice,  and  was  never  so  happy  as  when  leading  a 
chorus.  He  threw  himself  with  amazing  energy 
into  the  development  of  singing  schools  and 
choirs,  and  his  concerts,  for  those  days,  were  the 
marvel  of  the  musical  world.  He  introduced 
various  novel  features  which  appealed  to  the  pop- 
ular mind,  as  in  training  the  singers  to  suit  their 
actions  to  their  words,  so  that  when,  for  example, 
they  sang,  "O  clap  your  hands!"  they  all  broke 
out  in  vigorous  handclapping.  He  believed  that 
church  music  ought  not  to  be  the  lifeless  and  even 
lugubrious  exercise  that  it  was  so  often  made. 
A  Psalm  was  not  necessarily  a  dirge.  He  boldly 
called  one  of  his  books  the  Psalm  Singer's 
Amusement.  He  was  the  first  to  introduce  the 
bass  viol  (violoncello)  into  the  church  service,  to 
the  consternation  of  many.  It  is  no  wonder  that 
some  of  his  innovations  were  bitterly  resented.  It 
must  be  conceded  that  his  system  of  fuguing  was 
not  always  a  means  of  grace.  The  repetition  of 
a  word  or  syllable  occasionally  led  to  startling 
results.  Thus  the  words 

**With  reverence  let  the  saints  appear 
And  bow  before  the  Lord," 

were  forced  to  be  sung,  "and  bow-wow-wow,  and 
bow-ow-ow,"  and  so  on  till  all  the  parts  had  "bow- 

91 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

wowed"  in  turn.  We  cannot  help  feeling  a  bit  of 
sympathy  for  the  minister,  who,  on  the  Sunday 
after  his  choir  had  rendered  this  anthem,  vigor- 
ously denounced  the  whole  new-fangled  system, 
enforcing  his  protest  with  this  text  from  Amos, 
"The  songs  of  the  temple  shall  be  turned  into 
howling." 

But  in  spite  of  his  eccentricities,  musical  and 
otherwise,  Billings  had  powerful  supporters.  So 
eminent  a  citizen  as  Samuel  Adams  did  not  hes- 
itate, on  occasion,  to  stand  side  by  side  with  him 
in  a  church  choir  or  in  a  concert  chorus,  and  many 
other  prominent  men  believed  in  him  and  pub- 
licly encouraged  him,  while  his  popularity  among 
the  rank  and  file  of  the  people  was  unquestioned. 
He  was  a  crude  genius,  but  he  aroused  a  musical 
spirit  which  moved  all  New  England,  and  which 
left  a  permanent  impress  on  the  music  of  our 
American  churches. 

Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  gives  an  ani- 
mated description  of  the  scene  when,  as  a  little 
girl,  she  used  to  go  to  the  church  in  Litchfield, 
Connecticut,  where  her  father  was  pastor,  and  lis- 
ten to  "the  execution  of  those  good  old  billowy 
compositions  called  fuguing  tunes,  when  the  four 
parts  that  compose  the  choir  take  up  the  song, 
and  go  racing  around  one  after  another,  each 
singing  a  different  set  of  words,  till  at  length,  by 
some  inexplicable  magic,  they  all  come  together 

92 


THE  OLD-TIME  SINGING 

again,  and  sail  smoothly  out  into  a  rolling  sea  of 
harmony!  I  remember  the  wonder  with  which 
I  used  to  look  from  side  to  side  when  treble, 
tenor,  counter,  and  bass  were  thus  roaring  and 
foaming,  and  it  verily  seemed  to  me  as  if  the 
psalm  were  going  to  pieces  among  the  breakers, 
and  the  delighted  astonishment  with  which  I 
found  that  each  particular  verse  did  emerge 
whole  and  uninjured  from  the  storm." 


93 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  KIST  O'  WHISTLES  AND  ITS 
COMPANIONS 

WHEX  our  Puritan  forefathers  came  to  New 
England  they  brought  few  if  any  musical  instru- 
ments with  them.  Such  means  of  diversion  were 
fraught  with  peril  if  used  on  any  occasion,  and 
as  for  bringing  them  into  a  church  service,  that 
would  have  been  shocking  beyond  words.  The 
nearest  approach  to  anything  of  the  kind  was  in 
the  call  to  worship,  when  the  one  appointed  to 
that  duty  rang  out  the  summons  by  horn  or  conch- 
shell  or  on  the  drum,  as  the  old  lines  put  it : 

"New  England's  Sabbath  day 

Is  heavenlike,  still  and  pure, 
When  Israel  walks  the  way 

Up  to  the  Temple's  door. 
The  time  we  tell 

When  there  to  come 

By  beat  of  drum 
Or  sounding  shell." 

The  feeling  on  this  side  of  the  water  generally 
reflected  in  a  belated  form  the  spirit  of  the  Mother 
Country.  It  was  over  there  that  the  time  pres- 
ently came  when  anti-Romish  wrath  turned  upon 
the  church  organ,  the  Scotchman's  "Kist  o' 
Whistles,"  or  "the  devil's  bagpipe,"  as  .the  Eng- 
lishman called  it.  Many  organs  were  destroyed, 

94 


THE  KIST  O'  WHISTLES 

and  musicians  were  driven  out  of  the  choir  gal- 
lery at  the  point  of  the  soldiers'  pikes.  No  doubt 
it  would  have  been  the  same  here,  only  the  offend- 
ing instrument  had  not  yet  crossed  the  ocean. 
But  before  many  years  the  question  of  organs  in 
churches  became  a  very  live  one  among  the  colo- 
nists, and  for  more  than  a  century  it  continued  to 
be  the  center  of  more  or  less  bitter  controversy. 
When  a  few  New  England  progressives  hinted  a 
desire  for  an  organ,  they  were  sternly  suppressed 
by  the  eminent  Cotton  Mather,  who  solemnly 
argued  that  if  organs  were  permitted,  other  in- 
struments would  soon  follow,  and  then  there 
would  come  dancing! 

But  at  last  the  strongest  ban  proved  ineffec- 
tive. "I  was  at  Mr.  Thomas  Brattles,  heard 
ye  organ  and  saw  strange  things  in  a  microscope." 
Thus  wrote  Rev.  Joseph  Green  in  his  diary  in 
1711.  This  Thomas  Brattle  was  treasurer  of 
Harvard  College  and  a  leading  citizen  of  Bos- 
ton. He  was  very  fond  of  music,  and  he  im- 
ported an  organ  from  England — the  first  in 
America — and  set  it  up  in  his  own  house.  He 
died  in  1713,  and  in  his  will  the  organ  was  be- 
queathed to  the  Brattle  Street  Church,  of  which 
he  had  been  one  of  the  founders.  Fearing,  how- 
ever, that  the  gift  might  not  be  accepted,  he  pro- 
vided that  in  the  event  of  rejection  by  the  Brattle 
Street  people,  it  should  go  to  the  King's  Chapel, 

95 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

which,  being  of  the  Church  of  England,  had  no 
scruples  in  such  matters.  To  the  King's  Chapel 
it  went,  and  the  direction  of  the  will  was  carried 
out,  to  at  once  "procure  a  sober  person  that  can 
play  skilfully  thereon  with  a  loud  noise."  This 
historic  organ,  after  rendering  valuable  service 
in  various  places,  found  its  way  to  Saint  John's 
Church,  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  where  it 
is  now  carefully  preserved. 

The  second  organ  to  be  set  up  in  New  England 
was  the  one  presented  by  the  celebrated  Bishop 
Berkeley  to  Trinity  Episcopal  Church  of  New- 
port, Rhode  Island.  It  was  a  very  fine  instru- 
ment, made  in  London,  and  continued  in  use  for 
one  hundred  and  eleven  years. 

But  though  the  demand  for  better  music  was 
becoming  increasingly  insistent,  the  non-Episco- 
pal Churches  were  very  reluctant  to  admit  or- 
gans. An  English  gentleman  made  an  offer  of 
£500  to  the  first  "dissenting"  church  that  would 
venture  on  the  innovation.  According  to  Dr.  Ezra 
Stiles,  at  that  time  pastor  at  Newport,  it  was  not 
till  1770  that  the  break  came.  His  diary,  under 
date  of  July  10th  of  that  year,  tells  us  that  on 
the  preceding  Sunday  an  organ  was  played  in  the 
Congregational  church  at  Providence,  and  that 
this  was  the  first  instance  of  such  music  in  a  "dis- 
senting" church  in  all  British  America. 

Finally  the  Brattle  Street  Church  surrendered 
96 


THE  KIST  O'  WHISTLES 

to  the  inevitable  and  decided  to  have  an  organ, 
but  even  after  the  order  had  been  sent  to  Eng- 
land and  the  instrument  was  on  its  way,  the  con- 
gregation was  torn  with  bitter  strife.  One 
wealthy  member  besought  with  tears  that  the 
house  of  God  be  not  desecrated,  promising  to  re- 
fund the  entire  cost  of  the  organ  if  the  evil  thing 
might  be  thrown  to  the  bottom  of  Boston  har- 
bor. But  gradually  opposition  subsided.  Some 
churches  that  could  not  afford  a  regular  instru- 
ment contented  themselves  with  small  hand  or- 
gans, made  in  Europe,  and  "calculated,"  so  the 
old  advertisement  read,  "to  play  all  tunes  usually 
sung  in  places  of  worship,  with  interludes  to  each 
Psalm,  without  the  assistance  of  an  organist." 

Although  for  many  years  organs  continued  to 
be  imported,  Americans  early  began  to  show 
their  constructive  skill.  The  first  instrument  to 
be  built  on  this  side  was  probably  the  one  erected 
in  1737,  in  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  by  John 
Gottlob  Klemm,  the  Moravian  organ-builder, 
who  had  recently  arrived  in  this  country.  A 
few  years  later  one  was  finished  in  Boston  by 
Edward  Bromfield,  Jr.  He  was  a  Harvard 
graduate  and  died  when  only  twenty-three.  His 
achievement  was  referred  to  with  glowing  pride 
by  Rev.  Thomas  Prince,  who  at  the  time  was  pas- 
tor of  the  Old  South  Church.  "As  he  was  well 
skilled  in  music,  he  for  exercise  and  recreation, 

97 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

with  his  own  hands,  has  made  a  most  accurate 
Organ,  with  two  rows  of  keys  and  many  hun- 
dred pipes.  The  workmanship — surprisingly 
nice  and  curious,  exceeding  anything  of  the  kind 
that  ever  came  here  from  England." 

For  a  long  period  Boston  and  Philadelphia 
surpassed  New  York  as  musical  centers.  In 
Philadelphia,  as  in  New  England,  there  was  bit- 
ter opposition  to  organs.  The  Quakers  were 
numerous  and  they  would  tolerate  no  music 
whatever  in  their  services.  The  Presbyterians 
sang  Psalms,  but  for  many  years  they  al- 
lowed no  instrument.  It  is  cheering,  how- 
ever, to  know  that  there  was  at  least  one 
Presbyterian  in  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love 
who  appreciated  good  music  and  who  wanted 
it  in  church.  In  1763  he  wrote  a  curious 
little  pamphlet  in  which,  with  startling  frankness, 
he  freed  his  mind  of  the  disgust  he  felt  for  "those 
groveling  souls"  who  objected  to  instrumental 
music,  the  organ  in  particular.  He  quotes  an 
"eminent  Divine"  who  had  recently  told  his  audi- 
ence that  there  were  but  "Three  Kinds  of  Beings 
that  he  knew  of,  whom  God  had  endowed  with 
Animal  Sensation,  who  were  not  charm'd  with 
the  Harmony  of  Musick,  and  they  were  the 
Devil,  a  Quaker,  and  an  Ass."  But  he  declares 
that  Presbyterians  and  Baptists  ought  to  be  in- 
cluded, forasmuch  as  the  "miserable  manner  in 

98 


which  this  Part  of  their  Worship  is  droll'ed  out, 
seems  rather  to  imitate  the  Braying  of  Asses, 
than  the  divine  Melody  so  often  recommended  in 
Scripture."  He  points  to  Saint  Paul's  Church, 
which  had  an  organ,  and  "though  it  is  said  to  be 
the  largest  building  erected  for  the  public  wor- 
ship of  God  on  the  Continent,  such  multitudes 
flock  thither,  of  all  Denominations,  as  very  fre- 
quently not  to  find  room."  He  adds  that  the 
other  two  Episcopal  churches  of  the  city,  Christ 
and  Saint  Peter's,  were  even  then  raising  money 
to  install  "very  genteel"  organs  in  their  places  of 
worship,  "and  many  in  the  country  are  following 
their  laudable  example." 

The  instrument  in  Christ  Church,  where  in 
later  years  Washington  had  a  pew,  was  finished 
in  1766,  and  it  was  the  musical  wonder  of  the 
city.  Francis  Hopkinson,  secretary  of  the  Con- 
tinental Congress  and  himself  a  composer,  de- 
lighted to  listen  to  it,  and  falling  into  verse  he 
describes  how 

.     noble  to  the  sight, 
The  gilded  organ  rears  its  towering  height"; 

and  again,  and  when  the  full  power  is  used, 

"The  marble  pavements  seem  to  feel  their  doom, 
And  the  bones  rattle  in  each  hollow  tomb." 

Saint  Joseph's  Roman  Catholic  Church,  the 
oldest  of  that  faith  in  the  city,  where  Lafayette 

99 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

and  other  French  officers  occasionally  worshiped 
in  Revolutionary  times,  introduced  an  organ  as 
early  as  1748.  It  was  natural  that  the  liturgical 
churches,  with  their  more  elaborate  musical  serv- 
ice, should  be  the  first  to  feel  the  need  of  musical 
instruments. 

When  at  last  the  Presbyterians  began  to  yield, 
bitter  feelings  were  aroused.  An  aged  clergy- 
man, who  happened  to  be  visiting  at  a  church 
where  an  organ  had  recently  been  installed,  was 
asked  to  lead  in  prayer,  just  as  the  organ-led 
singing  ceased.  Bursting  with  indignation,  he 
cried  out,  "Call  on  the  machine!  If  it  can  sing 
and  play  to  the  glory  of  God,  it  can  pray  to  the 
glory  of  God  also.  Call  on  the  machine!" 

The  organ,  however,  was  not  the  only  instru- 
ment which  found  slow  admission  to  the  colonial 
churches.  There  was  that  innocent  little  contri- 
vance known  as  the  "pitch-pipe."  It  was  in  the 
shape  of  a  box,  six  or  eight  inches  long,  about 
four  inches  wide,  and  an  inch'thick,  with  a  mouth- 
piece at  one  end,  and  on  the  inside  a  slide  that 
moved  up  and  down.  It  was  used  to  obtain  the 
pitch  and  made  its  appearance  about  the  time 
that  choirs  began  to  be  organized,  especially  in 
New  England.  Nothing  more  harmless  could 
be  imagined,  but  so  strong  was  the  feeling  in 
many  churches  against  any  sort  of  musical  instru- 
ment in  the  Lord's  House,  that  the  pitch-pipe 

100 


THE  KIST  O'  WHISTLES 

had  to  be  smuggled  into  the  choir  gallery  and 
used  with  utmost  stealth.  In  one  case,  indeed, 
the  church  deacons  yielded  so  far  as  to  permit  a 
bass  viol  to  accompany  the  singer,  but  only  after 
the  solemn  assurance  of  its  owner  that  he  had 
named  it  "The  Godly  Viol,"  since  he  had  never 
used  it  except  to  play  Psalm  tunes.  Many  dea- 
cons, however,  were  not  so  easily  persuaded.  If 
it  came  to  argument,  the  proof-text  that  settled 
matters  was  at  hand;  the  final  appeal  was  to  the 
Word  of  the  Lord  through  Amos,  "I  will  not 
hear  the  melody  of  thy  viols";  though  how  they 
could  continue  to  sing  when  the  very  same  verse 
said,  "Take  thou  away  from  me  the  noise  of  thy 
songs,"  does  not  appear. 

In  a  certain  church  where  some  of  the  mem- 
bers were  eager  for  a  violin,  albeit  the  pastor 
was  bitterly  opposed  to  it,  the  proposition  was 
gravely  made  to  alter  the  familiar  lines  of  Watts, 

"Oh,  let  my  heart  in  tune  be  found 
Like  David's  harp,  of  solemn  sound," 

so  as  to  accord  with  the  new  plan : 

"Oh,  may  my  heart  be  tuned  within 
Like  David's  sacred  violin." 

"Nay,"  retorted  the  indignant  domine,  "say 
rather, 

"Oh,  may  my  heart  go  diddle-diddle 
Like  Uncle  David's  sacred  fiddle!" 
101 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

It  is,  however,  gratifying  to  know  that  in  co- 
lonial America  there  was  at  least  one  veritable 
garden  spot  in  the  matter  of  church  music.  This 
was  at  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania,  the  episcopal 
seat  of  the  Moravians^  These  people,  with  so 
many  of  the  features  of  the  primitive  church, 
were  at  the  same  time  leaders  in  musical  culture. 
Without  the  slightest  hesitation,  they  used  in 
their  services,  besides  the  organ,  brass  and 
stringed  instruments,  such  as  the  trumpet,  trom- 
bone, clarionet,  harp,  violin,  and  bass  viol.  Con- 
servatives in  some  of  the  other  churches  were 
shocked  beyond  measure,  but  the  Moravians  con- 
tinued on  their  way  with  a  happy  conscience. 

In  colonial  days  American  Methodists  were  a 
feeble  folk.  When  organized  in  1766  they  were 
only  a  handful.  For  many  years  their  lack  of 
means,  if  nothing  else,  would  have  made  impos- 
sible the  purchase  of  organs  for  their  churches. 
But  in  fact  the  hostility,  on  both  sides  of  the  sea, 
to  anything  of  the  kind  among  the  followers  of 
Wesley,  was  so  pronounced  that  the  nineteenth 
century  was  far  advanced  before  a  more  progres- 
sive spirit  dared  to  show  itself.  In  commenting 
on  the  woe  pronounced  by  Amos  on  those  who 
"chant  to  the  sound  of  the  viol,  and  invent  to 
themselves  instruments  of  music,"  Dr.  Adam 
Clarke  said :  "Music,  as  a  science,  I  esteem  and  ad- 
mire; but  instruments  of  music  in  the  house  of 

102 


THE  KIST  O'  WHISTLES 

God  I  abominate  and  abhor.  This  is  the  abuse  of 
music;  and  I  here  register  my  protest  against  all 
such  corruptions  in  the  worship  of  the  Author 
of  Christianity."  And  he  quoted  John  Wesley 
as  having  said,  "I  have  no  objection  to  instru- 
ments of  music  in  our  chapels,  provided  they  are 
neither  heard  nor  seen"  It  should  be  said,  how- 
ever, for  Wesley  that  his  general  attitude  on  this 
subject  was  more  liberal  than  that  of  Dr.  Clarke. 
Organs  in  churches  of  the  Established  Com- 
munion seemed  to  receive  his  cordial  approval; 
it  was  to  the  introduction  of  instrumental  music 
into  the  less  formal  meeting  places  of  his  own 
people  that  he  objected. 

But  the  early  Methodists  made  up  for  the  lack 
of  instruments  with  their  voices.  They  knew  how 
to  sing,  and  they  sang  with  a  fervency,  a  soulful 
sincerity,  that  impressed  all  who  heard  them. 
John  Adams  attended  the  Continental  Congress 
which  was  held  in  Philadelphia  in  the  fall  of 
1774.  In  his  diary,  under  date  of  Sunday,  Octo- 
ber 23,  we  find  this  entry:  "In  the  evening,  I 
went  to  the  Methodist  meeting"  (which  must 
have  been  at  the  old  Saint  George's  Church) 
"and  heard  Mr.  Webb,  the  old  soldier.  .  .  . 
The  singing  here  is  very  sweet  and  soft  indeed; 
the  first  [finest]  music  I  have  heard  in  any  so- 
ciety, except  the  Moravian,  and  once  at  church 
with  the  organ." 

103 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Doubtless  there  were  many  in  all  the  com- 
munions, who  in  secret  if  not  openly,  sympathized 
with  the  attitude  of  the  venerable  Bishop  White 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  He  sturdily 
championed  good  music,  and  at  the  same  time 
issued  a  warning  against  prevalent  dangers,  es- 
pecially condemning  "the  licentiousness — con- 
spicuous in  some  places,  in  those  light  airs,  which 
are  calculated  to  send  people  dancing  out  of 
church." 


104 


CHAPTER  VII 
SOME  EARLY  HYMN  BOOKS 

REFERENCE  has  already  been  made  to  several 
early  collections,  and  still  others  merit  our  atten- 
tion. As  we  have  said  in  a  previous  chapter,  very 
often  a  hymn  book  reflects  in  a  remarkable  way 
not  only  the  thought  and  feeling  of  the  compiler, 
but  the  state  of  religious  sentiment  and  belief  at 
the  time  it  was  prepared.  We  have  spoken  of 
the  book  edited  by  President  Dwight  and  pub- 
lished in  1801.  In  addition  to  the  new  version  of 
the  Psalms,  there  was  an  appendix  of  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty-three  hymns.  If  Dr.  Dwight  had 
been  left  perfectly  free  the  number  would  have 
been  still  larger.  But  the  fact  that  so  many  were 
included,  and  that  the  book  was  received  with 
great  favor,  shows  what  an  advance  had  been 
made  since  the  days  when  an  attempt  to  intro- 
duce into  public  worship  a  hymn  of  "human 
composure"  would  have  been  angrily  denounced. 
The  time  had  come,  whether  anyone  dared  to 
confess  it  or  not,  when  Psalm-singing  palled  on 
the  taste  of  many  good  people,  and  when  every- 
body was  ready  to  admit  that  David  was  not  the 
only  person  whom  God  had  inspired  to  write 
hymns  suitable  for  public  praise.  It  is  indicative, 

105 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

however,  of  the  cautious  spirit  which  prevailed, 
that  in  Dwight's  book  the  emphasis  is  laid  on  the 
Psalms,  and  the  hymns  are  merely  "annexed." 

Of  the  two  hundred  and  sixty-three  hymns 
mentioned,  it  is  not  surprising  that  one  hundred 
and  sixty-eight  are  from  Watts;  the  significant 
fact  being  that  ninety-five  are  by  other  writers. 
The  almost  exclusive  hold  which  Watts  had  main- 
tained on  the  churches  was  being  relaxed.  It  is 
also  noticeable  that  only  one  of  Charles  Wesley's 
hymns  is  used,  and  this  is  credited  to  "Rippon," 
the  English  collection  from  which  it  was  taken. 
It  may  have  been  due  in  part  to  theological  dif- 
ferences, which  would  lead  a  Calvinistic  com- 
piler to  hesitate  to  draw  from  an  Arminian 
source,  that  the  Wesleys  were  passed  by.  But 
even  more  it  may  be  accounted  for  by  a  strange 
and  persistent  ignorance  on  the  part  of  highly 
intelligent  people,  especially  in  America,  of  the 
riches  of  Wesleyan  hymnody. 

Most  of  Dwight's  selections,  aside  from 
Watts,  were  from  a  very  small  group,  Samuel 
Stennett,  Doddridge,  Newton,  Cowper,  Bed- 
dome,  Fawcett,  and  Anne  Steele.  And  more 
than  once  a  writer's  best  hymns  were  passed  over. 
Toplady's  collection  was  drawn  upon,  but  "Rock 
of  Ages"  was  not  chosen.  Very  scanty  musical 
variety  was  provided.  With  the  exception  of 
four  six-line  hymns,  to  which  no  meters  were  as- 

106 


SOME  EARLY  HYMX  BOOKS 

signed,  all  the  hymns  were  to  be  sung  to  the 
Proper,  the  Common,  the  Long,  or  the  Short 
Meter.  And  yet,  with  all  its  limitations,  from 
our  point  of  view,  D wight's  book  met  with  great 
favor,  and  when  referring  to  it  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  century  later,  Xettleton  noted  the  fact  that 
it  was  still  "in  extensive  circulation." 

Two  years  before  the  publication  of  President 
Dwight's  Revision,  there  appeared  a  collection 
which  remains  "one  of  the  landmarks  of  Xew 
England  Hymnody,"  known  as  The  Hartford 
Selection  of  Hymns.  It  was  prepared  chiefly  by 
Xathan  Strong,  pastor  of  the  First  Church, 
Hartford.  He  and  Timothy  Dwight  had  been 
classmates  at  Yale,  where  he  made  a  brilliant 
record.  In  1773,  when  a  young  man  of  twenty- 
five,  he  became  pastor  of  the  oldest  and  largest 
church  in  Connecticut.  So  great  was  his  success 
that  he  remained  there  for  forty-three  years,  till 
his  death  in  1816.  He  was  a  compendium  of 
learning;  indeed,  when  he  graduated  from  col- 
lege, President  Stiles  declared  that  he  was  "the 
most  universal  scholar  he  ever  knew."  He  could 
write  a  weighty  theological  treatise  and  preach 
profound  sermons.  But  we  think  of  him  chiefly 
for  his  power  in  presenting  Jesus  Christ  as  the 
Saviour  of  men.  He  was  an  evangelist  in  the 
best  sense  of  the  word. 

• 

Toward  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  as 
107 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

the  country  quieted  down,  following  the  turmoil 
of  the  Revolution  and  of  the  decade  that  fol- 
lowed, the  thought  of  the  people  turned  more  and 
more  toward  God,  and  the  signs  increased  that  a 
widespread  religious  movement  had  already  be- 
gun. No  one  was  in  closer  sympathy  with  it 
than  Nathan  Strong,  in  his  position  of  conspicu- 
ous influence.  He  had  been  receiving  many  into 
his  church  and  was  destined  to  have  still  greater 
accessions.  He  possessed  the  happy  faculty  of 
touching  the  hearts  of  men  in  a  most  persuasive 
way.  On  one  occasion,  while  a  revival  was  in 
progress  at  First  Church,  a  fellow  clergyman 
who  was  present  said  to  Dr.  Strong,  with 
deep  emotion,  "Why  do  the  influences  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  attend  your  preaching  so  much 
more  than  mine,  when  our  congregations  are 
so  much  alike,  and  we  preach  the  same  system 
of  truth?"  Said  Dr.  Strong:  "The  reason  is  that 
you  present  Gospel  truth  as  a  proposition  to  be 
proved ;  whereas  7  endeavor  to  exhibit  it  as  some- 
thing already  admitted,  and  to  impress  it  upon 
the  heart  and  conscience."  While  in  the  midst 
of  a  great  revival,  conscious  that  the  divine  Spirit 
was  abroad  among  the  people,  he  became  so  pro- 
foundly stirred  that  for  weeks,  as  he  said  to  a 
friend,  he  "did  not  have  an  hour  of  uninterrupted 
sleep  at  a  time." 

The  Hartford  Selection  was  born  in  this  spir- 
108 


SOME  EARLY  HYMN  BOOKS 

itual  atmosphere,  and  responded  to  a  definite 
need.  Many  felt  that  the  hymns  and  Psalms  of 
Watts  were  not  adapted  to  revival  services.  On 
every  hand  a  call  arose  for  a  collection  of  a  dif- 
ferent type.  The  Hartford  booksellers,  to  whom 
most  of  the  appeals  came,  consulted  the  local 
pastors,  and  it  was  finally  decided  to  prepare  a 
new  book.  The  task  was  committed  to  three  men, 
but  Dr.  Strong  did  most  of  the  work.  The  Hart- 
ford Selection,  as  it  was  called,  appeared  in  1799. 
It  contained  three  hundred  and  seventy-eight 
hymns,  and  several  were  by  Dr.  Strong  himself. 
As  we  would  expect,  the  note  of  solemn  warn- 
ing is  frequently  sounded,  but  there  is  an  absence 
of  those  cruder  attempts  to  arouse  sinners 
through  the  piling  of  terror  upon  terror  in  the 
language  of  affright.  Dr.  Strong  speaks  in  these 
lines* 

"The  summer  harvest  spreads  the  field, 

Mark  how  the  whitening  hills  are  turned! 
Behold  them  to  the  reapers  yield; — 

The  wheat  is  saved — the  tares  are  burned. 

"Thus  the  great  Judge  with  glory  crowned, 

Descends  to  reap  the  ripened  earth! 
Angelic  guards  attend  him  down, 

The  same  who  sang  his  humble  birth. 

"Thus  ends  the  harvest  of  the  earth: 

Angels  obey  the  awful  voice; 
They  save  the  wheat,  they  burn  the  chaff; 
All  heaven  approves  the  sovereign  choice." 
109 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

But  Dr.  Strong's  hymns  are  not  all  of  a  revival 
character.  Two  of  his  best  are  Thanksgiving 
Hymns.  The  following  has  been  in  common 
use: 

"Almighty  Sovereign  of  the  skies, 
To  thee»let  songs  of  gladness  rise, 
Each  grateful  heart  its  tribute  bring, 
And  every  voice  thy  goodness  sing. 

"From  thee  our  choicest  blessings  flow, 
Life,  health,  and  strength,  thy  hands  bestow, 
The  daily  good  thy  creatures  share, 
Springs  from  thy  providential  care. 

"Let  every  power  of  heart  and  tongue, 
Unite  to  swell  the  grateful  song, 
While  age  and  youth  in  chorus  join, 
And  praise  the  Majesty  divine." 

This  next  hymn,  from  the  same  pen,  suited  to 
Thanksgiving  or  Independence  Day,  is  still  fre- 
quently sung: 

"Swell  the  anthem,  raise  the  song; 
Praises  to  our  God  belong; 
Saints  and  angels  join  to  sing 
Praises  to  the  heavenly  King. 
Blessings  from  his  liberal  hand 
Flow  around  this  happy  land: 
Kept  by  him,  no  foes  annoy; 
Peace  and  freedom  we  enjoy. 

"Here,  beneath  a  virtuous  sway, 
May  we  cheerfully  obey; 
Never  feel  oppression's  rod, 
Ever  own  and  worship  God. 
110 


SOME  EARLY  HYMN  BOOKS 

Hark!  the  voice  of  nature  sings 
Praises  to  the  King  of  kings; 
Let  us  join  the  choral  song, 
And  the  grateful  notes  prolong." 

The  Hartford  Selection  gained  widespread  pop- 
ularity and  was  in  constant  use  for  many  years. 
The 'statement  was  made  in  1833  that:1  "It  has 
been  printed  in  greater  numbers,  has  been  dif- 
fused more  extensively,  and  has  imparted  more 
alarm  to  the  sinner,  and  more  consolation  to  the 
saint,  than  any  other  compilation  of  religious 
odes  in  this  country,  during  a  period  of  nearly 
thirty  years."  Dr.  Strong  died  on  Christmas 
day,  1816,  less  than  three  weeks  before  his  class- 
mate, President  Dwight. 

While  The  Hartford  Selection  had  a  wide  cir- 
culation and  served  an  admirable  purpose,  es- 
pecially in  churches  where  the  revival  spirit  was 
active,  Dwight's  book  had  not  been  published 
many  years,  before  pastors  began  to  complain 
that  its  collection  of  hymns,  two  hundred  and 
sixty-three  altogether,  and  only  ninety-five  by 
writers  other  than  Watts,  was  too  limited.  In 
1815  Dr.  Samuel  Worcester  undertook  to  re- 
spond to  the  call  for  an  enlarged  hymn  book.  He 
was  an  eminent  Congregational  clergyman,  the 
leader  in  founding  the  American  Board  of  Com- 
missioners for  Foreign  Missions — the  oldest  of 

1  Quoted  by  Dr.  L.  F.  Benson  in  The  English  Hymn,  p.  373. 

Ill 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

the  large  denominational  Boards  in  this  country— 
and  was  its  first  corresponding  secretary.  His 
name  on  the  title  page  of  any  book  would  carry 
great  weight.  His  plan  was  admirable.  He  de- 
cided to  publish  a  volume  in  four  parts,  the  first 
two  parts  given  over  to  Watts'  Psalms  and 
Hymns,  the  third  to  consist  of  a  much-enlarged 
selection  of  hymns  from  other  writers,  and  the 
fourth  to  be  made  up  of  a  Select  Harmony — 
tunes  to  accompany  the  hymns. 

We  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  custom  of 
printing  the  music  with  the  words  had  not  yet 
come  in.  The  worshipers  in  the  pews  were  sup- 
posed to  sing  the  air — usually  familiar — and  there- 
fore to  need  only  the  words.  For  the  benefit  of 
the  choir,  separate  Tune  Books  were  published, 
with  such  pleasing  titles  as,  The  Chorister's 
Guide ,  The  Sacred  Minstrel,  American  Har- 
mony, The  Worshipper's  Assistant.  Sometimes 
arrangements  were  made  to  have  a  special  book 
of  tunes  to  accompany  a  particular  hymn  collec- 
tion. This  was  done  in  the  case  of  Dr.  Dwight's 
hymn  book,  when  the  high-sounding  Harmonia 
Coelestis  was  published.  In  the  same  way  the 
modest  Zion's  Harp  was  gotten  out  to  go  with 
the  Village  Hymns.  Occasionally  small  groups 
of  tunes  had  been  bound  up  with  Psalms  and 
hymns,  but  Worcester's  plan  was  more  elaborate 
and  more  nearly  approached  a  modern  hymnal. 


SOME  EARLY  HYMN  BOOKS 

In  order  to  make  room  for  the  added  hymns  and 
the  tunes,  he  omitted  a  number  of  Watts'  Psalms 
and  Hymns  and  shortened  others. 

Altogether  it  was  an  admirable  hymn  book, 
but  no  sooner  had  it  left  the  printer's  hands  than 
it  aroused  a  tempest  of  protest.  Such  a  mutila- 
tion of  the  revered  Watts  could  never  be  toler- 
ated. With  a  book  intended  chiefly  for  revivals 
it  mattered  less,  but  the  older  and  more  conserva- 
tive parishes,  in  particular,  insisted  that  for  the 
stated  Sabbath  worship  they  must  have  Watts 
entire;  other  hymns  might  be  added,  but  Watts 
must  not  be  disturbed. 

Reluctantly  Dr.  Worcester  yielded,  and  in 
1819  brought  out  another  book.  All  of  Watts' 
Psalms  and  Hymns  were  restored  in  full,  even 
the  hymn  that  Worcester's  good  taste  had  ex- 
cluded, 

"My  thoughts  on  awful  subjects  roll — 
Damnation  and  the  dead"; 

and  there  were  added  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  hymns  "selected  from  various  authors" — 
hence  the  name,  "Watts  and  Select,"  by  which 
the  book  was  familiarly  known  for  years.  But 
the  Harmony,  with  its  fine  collection  of  eighty- 
two  tunes,  had  to  be  dropped. 

There  was,  however,  one  unique  feature  which 
remained.  In  the  preface  to  his  book  Dr.  Wor- 
cester said:  "The  grand  defect  of  our  public 

113 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

psalmody,  in  general,  is  the  want  of  proper 
expression.  .  .  .  The  best  psalm  may  be  sung 
to  the  best  tune,  and  every  note,  in  the  several 
parts,  be  sounded  with  the  utmost  exactness,  and 
yet  the  performance  have  little  interest  or  effect." 
He  therefore  devised  what  he  called  a  "Key  of 
Expression,"  to  help  in  bringing  out  the 
"Pathetic,"  the  "Grand,"  the  "Beautiful,"  and 
the  "Spirited."  Letters  prefixed  to  the  lines  of 
a  hymn  indicated  how  the  words  were  to  be  sung. 
A  stanza  from  a  familiar  hymn,  with  the  mean- 
ing of  the  letters  bracketed,  will  illustrate  the 
device. 

a  (very  slow)  "Breathe,  O  breathe  thy  loving  Spirit 

Into  every  troubled  breast! 
e  (slow)  Let  us  all  in  thee  inherit, 

Let  us  find  that  second  rest: 
-   (common)       Take  away  our  bent  to  sinning; 

Alpha  and  Omega  be; 
o  (loud)  End  of  faith,  as  its  beginning, 

Set  our  hearts  at  liberty." 

Evidently  "Watts  and  Select"  assumed  that 
singers  would  be  on  the  alert.  During  the  many 
years  that  it  was  used  it  must  have  been  a  valu- 
able text-book  in  hymn-expression. 

In  1824,  just  twenty -five  years  after  The 
Hartford  Selection  was  published,  there  ap- 
peared a  collection  bearing  the  modest  title,  Vil- 
lage Hymns.  It  had  been  gathered  by  the  Rev. 
Asahel  Nettleton,  a  Congregational  minister  of 

114 


SOME  EARLY  HYMN  BOOKS 

Connecticut,  and  was  destined  to  become  ex- 
tremely popular.  Nettleton  took  his  college 
course  at  Yale.  While  there  he  met  Samuel  J. 
Mills,  Jr.,  who  had  been  a  student  at  Williams 
and  a  member  of  the  famous  "Hay-stack"  group. 
The  two  young  men  were  brought  into  close  fel- 
lowship, because  both  were  fully  determined  to 
enter  the  foreign  mission  field.  As  it  happened, 
neither  was  able  to  do  so,  but  the  early  resolve 
had  a  permanent  influence  on  Nettleton's  life. 
He  entered  the  ministry,  but  instead  of  accepting 
a  settled  pastorate,  he  became  an  evangelist. 
AVhile  in  college  there  had  been  a  revival  in  which 
he  had  taken  an  active  part,  and  after  graduating 
he  threw  himself  into  his  work  with  great  zeal. 
He  was  still  planning  to  go  abroad,  hoping  that 
God  would  open  the  door.  In  the  meantime  he 
went  from  place  to  place  holding  revivals.  In- 
creasingly be  experienced  the  need  of  a  hymn 
book  better  suited  to  the  times,  and  better 
adapted  than  anything  then  in  use,  to  his  own 
work  and  to  various  religious  gatherings  in  home 
and  church. 

During  the  interval  since  the  appearance  of 
the  collections  by  Strong  and  Dwight,  distinct 
progress  had  been  made  not  only  in  hymn-sing- 
ing, but  in  the  writing  and  the  compiling  of 
hymns.  While  Nettleton  shared  the  high  regard 
everywhere  felt  for  Dr.  Watts,  he  realized  as  had 

115 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Dr.  Strong,  that  Watts'  hymns  were  not  always 
the  best  in  evangelistic  meetings;  and  the  time 
had  now  come  when  it  could  no  longer  be  counted 
an  unpardonable  offense  to  make  a  collection 
drawn  largely  from  other  sources.  Nevertheless 
it  is  significant  that  he  took  the  precaution  to  dis- 
tinctly state  on  the  title  page  that  the  Village 
Hymns  were  merely  "Designed  as  a  Supple- 
ment to  the  Psalms  and  Hymns  of  Dr.  Watts." 

His  task  proved  more  difficult  than  he  had 
anticipated.  "I  had  hoped  to  find,  in  the  style 
of  genuine  poetry,  a  greater  number  of  hymns 
adapted  to  the  various  exigencies  of  a  revival. 
Laborious  research  has,  however,  led  me  to  con- 
clude that  not  many  such  compositions  are  in  ex- 
istence." As  for  "hymns  of  a  lower  grade,"  he 
would  not  admit  them.  When  he  was  through 
he  had  brought  together  a  collection  of  six  hun- 
dred hymns.  He  himself  was  no  hymn-writer, 
and  happily  he  knew  it.  But  he  was  quick  to  dis- 
cover the  merits  of  a  hymn,  and  his  collection  was 
so  fresh  and  attractive  that  it  sprang  into  imme- 
diate favor,  and  held  its  place  for  an  entire  gen- 
eration. 

The  book  is  interesting  both  for  what  it  con- 
tains and  for  what  it  does  not  contain.  There  are 
only  fifty  hymns  by  Isaac  Watts.  A  number 
of  Charles  Wesley's  are  included,  but  only  seven 
are  credited  to  him.  The  compiling  of  hymn 

116 


SOME  EARLY  HYMN  BOOKS 

books  was  something  so  comparatively  new  that 
the  importance  of  linking  a  hymn  with  the  name 
of  the  actual  author  was  not  fully  appreciated. 
Indeed  there  was  most  astonishing  ignorance  as 
to  the  parentage  of  hymns.  Following  in  the 
footsteps  of  others,  Nettleton  made  numerous 
mistaken  ascriptions;  as  with  the  hymns  of  Wes- 
ley, in  crediting  "Jesus,  Lover  of  my  Soul,"  to 
Cowper;  "Love  divine,  all  loves  excelling,"  to 
Whitefield;  and  in  leaving  "O  for  a  thousand 
tongues  to  sing,"  and,  "Hark!  the  herald  angels 
sing,"  anonymous.  In  the  Village  Hymns  not 
only  is  there  an  unusual  variety  from  English 
sources,  but  a  large  representation  of  American 
writers,  such  as  Samuel  Davies,  Samson  Occom, 
Henry  Alline,  Nathan  Strong,  President 
Dwight,  and  the  youthful  William  B.  Tappan, 
with  his,  "  'Tis  midnight;  and  on  Olives'  brow" 
—then  printed  in  a  hymn  book  for  the  first  time. 
Nettleton  was  always  on  the  lookout  for  new 
writers.  It  was  he  who  discovered  Mrs.  Phoebe 
Brown  and  gave  to  the  world,  "I  love  to  steal 
awhile  away."  His  lifelong  desire  to  go  as  a  for- 
eign missionary,  though  thwarted,  found  a  par- 
tial satisfaction  in  the  opportunity  to  give  to  his 
hymn  book  a  distinctly  missionary  tone.  As  men- 
tioned elsewhere,  in  the  Village  Hymns  were 
fifty-one  on  missions,  a  proportion  hitherto  not 
approached  in  any  collection.  Among  them  was 

117 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Heber's  "From  Greenland's  icy  mountains," 
written  only  five  years  before,  and  now  for  the 
first  time  appearing  in  an  American  hymn  book. 

In  1831  there  was  published  the  first  part,  and 
six  months  later,  the  second  part,  of  The  Chris- 
tian Lyre,  a  collection  by  the  Rev.  Joshua  Leav- 
itt,  a  Congregational  minister.  He  is  chiefly  re- 
membered as  a  militant  reformer,  the  fearless  and 
bitter  foe  of  intemperance  and  slavery,  and  sun- 
dry lesser  evils.  His  fighting  spirit  involved  him 
in  many  troubles  but  his  zeal  was  never  quenched. 
He  was  an  ardent  believer  in  revivals  and  es- 
pecially in  the  work  of  Charles  G.  Finney,  and 
in  1830,  when  Finney  began  a  campaign  in  New 
York,  where  Leavitt  was  living,  the  latter  be- 
came his  close  ally.  It  was  in  connection  with 
Finney's  meetings  that  Leavitt  brought  out  his 
Christian  Lyre.  It  was  enthusiastically  received, 
and  within  a  few  years  passed  through  twenty- 
six  editions. 

It  was  not  so  much  the  hymns — which  re- 
sembled Nettleton's  collection — that  appealed  to 
the  people,  as  it  was  the  music.  Leavitt  frankly 
admitted  that  he  possessed  "no  musical  skill  be- 
yond that  of  ordinary  plain  singers,"  and  that 
his  book  "was  not  designed  to  please  scientific 
musicians";  but  he  knew  what  would  take  with 
the  crowd.  And  so,  breaking  away  from  the 
usual  restraints,  he  introduced  secular  tunes  of  a 

118 


SOME  EARLY  HYMN  BOOKS 

popular  type.  To  be  sure,  the  appropriateness 
was  not  always  apparent,  as  when  a  solemn  hymn 
on  "The  Restoration"  was  put  down  to  be  sung  to 
the  Marseillaise,  but  this  did  not  disturb  the  com- 
piler so  long  as  the  people  were  pleased.  A  de- 
cided innovation,  which  added  to  the  popularity 
of  the  Lyre,  was  the  printing  of  the  hymn  and  the 
tune  on  opposite  pages.  This  did  away  in  large 
measure  with  the  cumbersome  tune  books,  and 
simplified  and  improved  congregational  singing. 

But  if  The  Christian  Lyre  made  friends,  it  also 
awakened  strenuous  opposition.  Lowell  Mason 
and  Thomas  Hastings,  the  leaders  in  the  develop- 
ment of  early  church  music  in  America,  had  for 
some  years  been  striving  to  lift  the  musical  stand- 
ard in  public  worship.  By  voice  and  pen, 
through  singing  schools  and  the  training  of 
choirs,  they  had  toiled  incessantly  to  introduce 
into  the  divine  service  the  dignity,  reverence,  and 
culture  which  they  felt  were  in  every  way  fitting. 
It  was  therefore  a  grief  of  soul  to  them  when 
Leavitt's  book  appeared.,  and  received  such  a 
hearty  welcome.  Something  must  be  done  at 
once  to  counteract  its  baneful  influence.  Mason 
had  already  published  a  Church  Psalmody,  a  col- 
lection of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  formal  public 
worship.  Now  the  two  men,  in  1832,  brought  out 
Spiritual  Songs  for  Social  Worship. 

In  the  preface  the  authors  deplored  the  preva- 
119 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

lent  use  of  2"current  love  songs,  the  vulgar  mel- 
odies of  the  street,  of  the  midnight  revellers,  of 
the  circus  and  the  ballroom — in  special  seasons  of 
revival."  The  new  book  showed  a  decided  im- 
provement in  this  respect.  Its  melodies,  while 
simple,  were  dignified  and  worshipful.  Among 
its  hymns  were  several  which  now  appeared  for 
the  first  time  and  which  were  destined  to  become 
famous,  including  Ray  Palmer's  "My  faith  looks 
up  to  thee,"  Samuel  F.  Smith's  "The  morning 
light  is  breaking,"  and  Thomas  Hastings'  "Hail 
to  the  brightness  of  Zion's  glad  morning."  The 
book  met  with  a  cordial  reception  in  many  places 
and  contributed  still  further  to  the  improvement 
of  church  music. 

Already,  at  the  time  The  Hartford  Selection 
came  out,  an  occasional  book  had  appeared,  pre- 
cursor of  many  to  follow,  which  became  very 
popular,  but  which,  side  by  side  with  hymns  of  the 
first  rank,  contained  some  of  a  most  curious  liter- 
ary quality.  In  1784,  Joshua  Smith,  a  Baptist 
layman,  and  others,  published  the  Divine  Hymns, 
or  Spiritual  Songs,  a  collection  that  passed 
through  a  number  of  editions,  and  came  to  be 
highly  regarded.  In  1803  it  was  introduced  into 
the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Portland.  So  far  as 
we  have  discovered,  it  was  the  first  American 
hymn  book,  other  than  a  Methodist,  to  contain 

2  Quoted  in  Benson's  The  English  Hymn,  p.  379. 

120 


SOME  EARLY  HYMN  BOOKS 

"Jesus,  Lover  of  my  Soul."  But  some  of  the  se- 
lections were  not  of  this  grade.  Those  were  the 
days  when  it  was  common  to  describe  the  Chris- 
tian in  military  phrase.  Thus  we  read : 

"Christ's  soldiers  do  eat  Christlike  bread, 

Wear  regimental  dress; 
'Tis  heav'nly  white,  and  fac'd  with  red, 
'Tis  Christ's  own  righteousness. 

"How  brisk  and  bold  Christ's  soldiers  are, 

When  dress'd  up  in  this  robe; 
They  look  like  men  equipt  for  war, 
Or  like  the  sons  of  God. 

"When  dress'd  up  in  this  uniform, 

In  order  march  along; 
Christ  Jesus  is  their  leader  now, 
And  conscience  beats  the  drum." 

It  was  quite  the  thing  to  argue  a  doctrinal 
point  in  a  hymn.  Noah's  ark  is  searched  from 
top  to  bottom — only  adults  there;  hence  it  must 
be  clear  to  the  dullest  mind  that  infants  are  under 
the  divine  displeasure: 

"Thus  we  have  marched  the  ark  around, 

And  find  no  infants  there; 
If  there  are  any  to  be  found, 
We  wish  to  ask  you  where." 

In  this  collection  there  appeared  for  the  first 
time  in  America  the  quaint  hymn  entitled  "Christ 
the  Appletree,"  after  the  allusion  in  the  Song  of 
Solomon:  "As  the  apple  tree  among  the  trees 
of  the  wood,  so  is  my  beloved  among  the  sons." 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

No  one  knows  who  wrote  it.  It  has  been  traced 
back  to  a  London  magazine  of  1761,  whence  it 
found  its  way  across  the  sea.  We  have  no  knowl- 
edge of  its  ever  having  been  sung  in  England, 
but  on  this  side  it  became  so  thoroughly  natural- 
ized that  we  think  of  it  as  a  part  of  our  western 
hymnody.  Perhaps  its  unusual  imagery  had 
something  to  do  with  commending  it  to  our  for- 
bears. In  part  it  runs  as  follows: 

"The  tree  of  life  my  soul  hath  seen, 
Laden  with  fruit,  and  always  green: 
The  trees  of  nature  fruitless  be 
Compar'd  with  Christ  the  Appletree. 

"For  happiness  I  long  have  sought 
And  pleasure  dearly  have  I  bought; 
I  miss'd  of  all;  but  now  I  see 
'Tis  found  in  Christ  the  Appletree. 

"I'll  sit  and  eat  this  fruit  divine, 
It  cheers  my  heart  like  spirit'al  wine; 
And  now  this  fruit  is  sweet  to  me, 
That  grows  on  Christ  the  Appletree." 

Camp  Meetings  were  coming  into  vogue  and 
suitable  hymns  were  beginning  to  multiply.  "A 
Collection  of  the  Most  Admired  Hymns"  for 
such  gatherings  contained  "Miss  Hataway's  Ex- 
periences," in  which  the  young  lady  confessed 

"That  darling  sin  I  did  commit, 
Was  that,  which  some  delight  in  yet, 
That  heinous  sin  call'd  civil  mirth, 
God  threatens  with  his  dreadful  curse. 
122 


SOME  EARLY  HYMN  BOOKS 

"I  of  ten- times  to  Church  did  go, 
My  beauty  and  fine  clothes  to  show;"  etc. 

She  afterward  repented  and  was  converted. 

"My  uncle  said,  don't  be  so  dull, 
Come,  go  with  me  to  yonder  ball; 
I'll  dress  you  up  in  silks  so  fine, 
I'll  make  you  heir  of  all  that's  mine." 

But,  in  spite  of  the  alluring  appeal  she  re- 
mained steadfast.  This  production  was  regarded 
so  highly  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Parkinson  gave  it  a 
leading  place  in  his  new  hymn  book  of  1809,  a 
collection  that  professed  to  be  superior  to  many 
that  had  gone  before. 

As  the  years  went  by  and  camp  meetings  be- 
came more  numerous,  new  song  collections 
sprang  up  on  every  side.  They  were  all  of  the 
same  general  type.  The  emotions  were  con- 
stantly appealed  to.  One  moment  it  was  the 
mount  of  ecstatic  vision,  the  next  the  valley  of 
weeping.  No  book  was  thought  to  be  complete 
where  the  dismal  did  not  counterbalance  the  joy- 
ous. Even  the  disciples  of  the  Lord  must  pass 
down  into  the  gloom.  The  following  lines  were 
addressed  to  the  saints : 

"Hail,  ye  sighing  sons  of  sorrow, 

Learn  with  me  your  certain  doom: 
Learn  with  me  your  fate  tomorrow, 
Dead,  perhaps  laid  in  the  tomb. 
123 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"Hollow  winds  about  me  roaring, 

Noisy  waters  round  me  rise, 
While  I  sit  my  fate  deploring, 

Tears  fast  streaming  down  my  eyes:'* 

In  the  next  breath  there  are  "Hallelujahs"  and 
shouts  of  glory.  It  was  essential  to  an  acceptable 
camp  meeting  song  that  it  mightily  stir  the  feel- 
ings. 

No  doubt  the  Methodists  would  have  been  more 
largely  given  to  the  use  of  such  songs  had  it  not 
been  that  the  only  hymn  book  authorized  by  the 
General  Conference  was  made  up  chiefly  of  the 
hymns  of  Charles  Wesley,  with  some  additions 
from  other  English  sources.  But  almost  from 
the  beginning,  the  Methodists  in  America  were 
inclined  to  slip  away  from  their  high  standard, 
and  it  gave  the  church  leaders  serious  concern. 
In  the  Minutes  of  the  Christmas  Conference, 
held  at  Baltimore  in  1784,  when  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  was  organized,  we  read: 
"Question  14.  How  shall  we  reform  our  sing- 
ing? Answer.  Let  all  our  preachers  who  have 
any  knowledge  in  the  notes,  improve  it  by  learn- 
ing to  sing  true  themselves,  and  keeping  close  to 
Mr.  Wesley's  tunes  and  hymns." 

So  far  as  the  official  hymn  book  was  concerned, 
there  was  no  danger  that  the  slightest  recognition 
would  ever  be  given  to  any  of  the  ephemeral 
songs  which  presently  began  to  flood  the  country. 


SOME  EARLY  HYMN  BOOKS 

Indeed,  the  policy  of  restriction  was  carried  to 
such  an  extreme  that  up  to  1849  the  hymn  book 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  did  not  con- 
tain a  single  hymn  by  an  American  writer.  And 
in  the  great  official  collection  of  1,148  hymns,  in 
use  from  1849  till  1878,  there  were  less  than 
thirty  ascribed  to  American  authors. 

But  it  was  inevitable  during  the  camp  meeting 
era  that  the  Methodists,  who  largely  dominated 
the  movement,  should  fall  into  the  habit  of  using 
songs  of  a  lighter  strain.  Even  so,  however, 
their  singing  Continued  to  be  an  element  of  great 
power.  In  1830,  while  Joshua  Leavitt  was  pre- 
paring his  Christian  Lyre,  a  brother  Congrega- 
tional minister  confided  to  him:  "We  sacrifice  too 
much  to  taste.  The  secret  of  the  Methodists 
lies  in  the  admirable  adaptation  of  their  music 
and  hymns  to  produce  effect;  they  strike  at  once 
at  the  heart,  and  the  moment  we  hear  their  ani- 
mated, thrilling  choruses,  we  are  electrified.  We, 
on  the  other  hand,  are  slow,  cold,  and  formal, 
and  ring  our  monotonous  changes  in  common  and 
long  meter;  and  a  whole  congregation  would  be 
brought  to  a  dead  stand,  if  'The  voice  of  free 
grace,'  should  be  given  out  from  one  of  our  pul- 
pits." 

Reference  has  elsewhere  been  made  to  the 
hymns  of  some  of  the  earlier  representatives  of 
the  so-called  "liberal  faith."  We  must  bear  in 

125 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

mind  that  the  "liberal"  sentiments  of  those  days 
were  comparatively  mild  and  expressed  them- 
selves chiefly  in  protest  against  the  stern  bigotry 
of  the  older  theology : 

"Who  among  men,  high  Lord  of  all, 
Thy  servant  to  his  bar  may  call? 
Decide  of  heresy,  and  shake 
A  brother  o'er  the  flaming  lake?" 

"Liberal"  hymn  books  contained  hymns  on  the 
"Atoning  Sacrifice  of  Christ,"  and  on  "Jesus 
worshiped  by  all  the  Creation,"  and  the  main 
departure  from  the  orthodox  standards  was  in 
the  relative  absence  of  the  note  of  alarm  and  de- 
nunciation. In  1808,  when  the  Rev.  William 
Emerson,  father  of  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  and 
pastor  of  the  First  Church  (Unitarian)  of  Bos- 
ton, published  a  hymn  book,  he  said  in  his  pref- 
ace: "It  certainly  is  wrong,  to  breathe  hatred 
or  contempt  against  infidels"  in  hymns,  and  such 
hymns  were  excluded  from  his  collection. 

The  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for 
Christian  Worship,  issued  in  1830,  became  ex- 
tremely popular,  passing  through  no  less  than 
fifty  editions.  It  was  compiled  by  the  Rev.  F. 
W.  P.  Greenwood,  pastor  of  the  old  King's 
Chapel,  the  stronghold  of  Boston  Unitarianism, 
and  it  gave  evidence  of  that  literary  discrimina- 
tion which  the  Unitarians,  less  trammeled  than 
their  orthodox  brethren  by  doctrinal  require- 

126 


SOME  EARLY  HYMN  BOOKS 

ments,  had  already  shown.  Hymns  by  Unita- 
rian writers,  so  abundant  at  a  later  time,  were  as 
yet  few  in  number,  and  Greenwood  went  far 
and  wide  for  his  material.  "Hymns  from  Wes- 
ley's collection,"  said  he,  "and  some  Moravian 
hymns,  I  regard  as  among  the  richest  contents  of 
this  volume.  Their  delightful  fervor,  though  by 
some  it  may  be  called  methodistical,  will  be 
thought  by  others,  I  trust,  to  be  the  true  spirit 
of  devotional  Christian  poetry.'*  In  this  collec- 
tion of  five  hundred  and  sixty  hymns,  besides  the 
many  from  Charles  Wesley,  Montgomery,  Cow- 
per,  Doddridge,  and  others,  one  hundred  and  fif- 
teen are  by  Watts,  showing  how  dependent 
Unitarian  compilers  were  at  this  period  on  evan- 
gelical sources. 

But  it  was  well  that  disciples  of  the  "liberal 
faith"  were  beginning  to  write  their  own  hymns. 
Unitarian  belief  was  rapidly  becoming  more  radi- 
cal; and  in  order  to  adapt  evangelical  hymns  to 
use  in  liberal  churches,  compilers  rearranged  and 
rewrote  the  old  hymns  with  a  freedom  which  no 
reasonable  rule  on  "hymn-tinkering"  could  in- 
dorse. 


137 


CHAPTER  VIII 
LELAND,  HOLDEN,  KEY,  PIERPONT 

JOHN  LELAND 

1754-1841 

ELDER  JOHN  LELAND,  as  he  was  generally 
known,  has  been  called  "the  Lorenzo  Dow  of  the 
Baptist  denomination."  He  was  a  man  of  "end- 
less eccentricities,"  but  also  of  genuine  worth. 
He  was  born  at  Graf  ton,  Massachusetts,  in  1754, 
and  died  in  1841.  As  a  young  man  he  felt  a  call 
to  preach,  and  receiving  a  license  he  began  work 
in  Virginia.  He  remained  there  for  fifteen  years, 
most  of  the  time  a  roving  evangelist,  winning 
many  hundreds  of  converts.  Returning  to  his 
native  State  in  1790,  he  made  Cheshire  his  home, 
but  continued  his  evangelistic  activities.  He  was 
not  only  a  mighty  preacher,  tall,  of  commanding 
presence,  and  with  an  expression  of  the  eye  that 
was  "electrical,"  but  he  was  also  noted  for  his 
"mad  devotion  to  politics."  He  was  in  the  midst 
of  every  fray,  and  he  seems  to  have  had  a  power- 
ful influence,  especially  while  he  lived  in  Virginia. 

It  is  interesting  to  know  that  Elder  Leland 
wrote  hymns,  and  still  more  interesting  to  find 
what  verses  from  his  pen  were  actually  sung.  In 
the  hymn  book  published  in  1809,  by  Rev.  Wil- 

128 


X 


LELAND,  HOLDEN,  KEY,  PIERPONT 

liam  Parkinson,  of  New  York,  we  have  these 
lines  by  Leland: 

"Brethren,  I  am  come  again; 
Let  us  join  to  pray  and  sing; 

If  you  want  to  know  of  me, 
How  I  am,  or  what  I  be; 
Here  I  am,  behold  who  will, 
Sure  I  am  a  sinner  still." 

Another  piece  from  the  same  pen,  written  in 
1788,  and  which  was  a  great  favorite  with  the 
fathers,  was  sung  at  winter  immersions  to  encour- 
age timid  converts  to  take  the  icy  plunge: 

"Christians,  if  your  hearts  are  warm, 
Ice  and  snow  can  do  no  harm; 
If  by  Jesus  you  are  prized 
Rise,  believe  and  be  baptized." 

Such  odd  crudities  might  be  ignored  save  as 
they  throw  light  on  certain  standards  of  taste  of 
an  early  day. 

But  Elder  Leland  could  do  better  than  this. 
He  wrote  several  passable  hymns,  and  he  gave 
to  the  church  an  evening  hymn  of  real  merit.  It 
has  won  high  praise  from  discriminating  critics. 
Dr.  Duffield,  in  his  English  Hymns,  calls  it  a 
"classic  in  its  unpretending  beauty." 

"The  day  is  past  and  gone, 

The  evening  shades  appear; 
Oh,  may  we  all  remember  well 
The  night  of  death  draws  near. 
129 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"We  lay  our  garments  by, 
Upon  our  beds  to  rest; 
So  death  will  soon  disrobe  us  all 
Of  what  we  have  possessed. 

"Lord,  keep  us  safe  this  night, 

Secure  from  all  our  fears; 
May  angels  guard  us  while  we  sleep, 
Till  morning  light  appears. 

"And  when  we  early  rise, 

And  view  the  unwearied  sun, 
May  we  set  out  to  win  the  prize, 
And  after  glory  run. 

"And  when  our  days  are  past, 
And  we  from  time  remove, 
Oh,  may  we  in  thy  bosom  rest, 
The  bosom  of  thy  love." 

Dr.  Charles  S.  Robinson,  in  his  Annotations 
upon  Popular  Hymns,  says  of  this  hymn:  "Many 
of  us  in  New  England  sang  it  for  years  at  the 
family  altar  when  Sabbath  evening  came  around, 
and  it  speaks  memories  of  other  days  when  we 
teach  our  children  to  sing  it  now.  May  it  live 
forever  and  ever!" 

OLIVER  HOLDEN* 

1765-1844 

We  naturally  think  of  Oliver  Holden  as  the 
composer  of  "Coronation"  rather  than  as  a  hymn- 

1  Dr.  Duffield,  in  his  English  Hymns,  speaks  of  Holden  as  "an  almost  mythical 
figure."  A.  E.  Brown  has  succeeded  in  gathering  some  biographical  data  (New 
England  Magazine,  August,  1897)  to  which  the  following  sketch  is  in  part  in- 
debted 

130 


LELAND,  HOLDEN,  KEY,  PIERPONT 

author,  though  he  wrote  one  of  our  best-loved 
hymns.  He  had  some  blue  blood  in  his  veins,  for 
on  his  mother's  side  he  was  a  direct  descendant 
from  the  Earl  of  Carberry.  Born  in  Shirley, 
Massachusetts,  in  1765,  some  years  later  he 
moved  to  Charlestown,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of 
his  life. 

The  love  of  music  was  a  part  of  his  very  nature. 
His  reputation  as  a  composer  and  also  as  a  leader 
of  choirs  grew  so  rapidly  that  when  George 
Washington,  as  President  of  the  United  States, 
visited  Boston  in  1789,  the  city  authorities  se- 
lected young  H  olden  to  form  and  train  the  male 
chorus  that  was  to  greet  the  distinguished  guest. 
As  the  hero  approached  the  triumphal  arch  in 
front  of  the  old  State  House,  the  words  of  the 
welcoming  ode  rang  out: 

"Now  in  full  chorus  burst  the  song 
And  shout  the  deeds  of  Washington." 

It  is  interesting  to  know  that  at  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  at  Chicago,  in  1893,  this 
ode  was  once  again  sung  by  the  Musical  Society 
of  Stoughton,  Massachusetts,  the  oldest  musical 
organization  in  the  country. 

The  success  of  his  occasional  tunes  led  Holden 
in  1792  to  publish  America's  Harmony,  quite  a 
pretentious  collection  of  airs  suitable  for  various 
religious  occasions.  This  was  followed  from  time 
to  time  by  other  books  of  a  similar  character,  and 

131 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

after  William  Billings'  death,  he  became  the 
most  popular  composer  of  hymn  and  psalm  tunes 
in  America.  It  was  in  1793,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight,  that  he  wrote  "Coronation."  Edward  Per- 
ronet's  great  hymn,  "All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus' 
name,"  had  appeared  in  England  in  1780,  to  be 
sung  to  "Miles  Lane."  It  soon  found  its  way 
to  this  side,  but  it  was  Holden's  tune  that  gave  it 
popularity  in  the  American  churches.  "Corona- 
tion" was  written  just  after  the  advent  of  the 
composer's  firstborn  child,  a  little  daughter,  and 
doubtless  reflects  the  joy  of  the  father's  heart. 
The  small  organ  on  which  the  notes  were  woven 
together  is  still  carefully  preserved. 

Oliver  Holden  was  a  deeply  religious  man. 
For  some  time  he  was  a  member  of  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church  of  Charlestown,  but  coming  to  feel 
that  the  discipline  among  the  members  was  too 
lax,  he  withdrew  and  several  others  with  him,  and 
they  organized  the  Second  Baptist  Church.  They 
worshiped  in  very  humble  quarters  and  met  with 
many  discouragements,  but  their  zeal  never 
abated.  It  was  at  this  time  that  Holden  wrote 
his  best-known  hymn.  The  original  comprised 
six  stanzas,  in  Long  Meter,  but  later  the  meter 
was  changed  and  the  hymn  was  reduced  to  the 
form  in  which  it  has  ever  since  been  used.  It  is 
widely  sung  in  America  and  to  some  extent  in 
England: 

132 


LELAND,  HOLDEN,  KEY,  PIERPONT 

"They  who  seek  the  throne  of  grace, 
Find  that  throne  in  every  place; 
If  we  live  a  life  of  prayer, 
God  is  present  everywhere. 

"In  our  sickness  or  our  health 
In  our  want  or  in  our  wealth, 
If  we  look  to  God  in  prayer, 
God  is  present  everywhere. 

"When  our  earthly  comforts  fail, 
When  the  foes  of  life  prevail, 
'Tis  the  time  for  earnest  prayer; 
God  is  present  everywhere. 

"Then,  my  soul,  in  every  strait 
To  thy  Father  come  and  wait; 
He  will  answer  every  prayer; 
God  is  present  everywhere." 

Oliver  Holden  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy-nine. 
One  day,  not  long  before  the  end,  he  sat  down 
at  the  old  organ  on  which  he  had  composed  "Cor- 
onation," and  with  tremulous  voice  sang  these 
lines,  the  last  he  ever  wrote : 

"God  of  my  life,  nigh  draws  the  day 
When  thou  wilt  summon  me  away 
To  dwell  with  those  who  live  on  high, 
To  sin  no  more,  no  more  to  die. 

"My  youthful  days  and  riper  years, 
My  joyful  hours  and  hours  of  tears, 
Passing  away  like  fleeting  wind, 
Leave  but  a  remnant  here  behind." 

The  closing  hours  are  described  by  his  grand- 
daughter: "One  September  night,  when  he  was 

133 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

very  ill,  I  pleaded  with  my  mother  that  I  might 
watch  with  her  by  his  bedside.  At  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning  he  made  an  effort  to  speak,  but 
the  words  were  unintelligible.  As  he  turned  his 
dear  face  a  little  toward  mine,  I  asked,  'What 
did  you  say,  Grandpa?'  With  an  effort  he  re- 
peated, 'I  have  some  beautiful  airs  running  in  my 
head,  if  I  only  had  strength  to  note  them  down.' ' 
He  lapsed  into  unconsciousness,  and  presently 
awoke  where  the  strains  of  celestial  music  fell 
upon  his  ears. 

FRANCIS  SCOTT  KEY 

1779-1843 

"O  say!  can  you  see,  by  the  dawn's  early  light, 

What  so  proudly  we  hailed,  at  the  twilight's  last 

gleaming? 
Whose  broad  stripes  and  bright  stars  through  the 

perilous  fight, 

O'er  the  ramparts  we  watched,  were  so  gallantly 
streaming?" 

The  "Star  Spangled  Banner"  means  more  to 
us  to-day  than  ever  before.  We  often  used  to 
sing  it  in  indifferent  and  careless  mood;  we 
smiled  at  the  Yankee  "O  say!"  with  which  it  be- 
gan; we  were  quite  ready  to  join  the  critics  who 
found  fault  with  the  long  lines  and  the  uncouth 
rhythm.  But  our  feelings  have  changed.  We 
have  been  through  the  first  foreign  war  of  mag- 
nitude since  the  song  was  written,  a  century  ago. 
Millions  of  our  noblest  young  men  flocked  to  the 


LELAND,  HOLDEN,  KEY,  PIERPONT 

colors;  multitudes  braved  imminent  peril;  many 
made  the  supreme  sacrifice.  This  song  was  sung 
not  only  by  the  boys  at  the  front,  and  in  patri- 
otic rallies  at  home,  but  Sunday  after  Sunday 
in  tens  of  thousands  of  places  of  worship,  from 
the  stately  cathedral  to  the  little  countryside 
chapel.  Our  love  for  native  land,  our  longing  for 
world-peace  and  world-freedom,  our  unwavering 
trust  in  God,  the  tender  memory  of  our  fallen 
heroes — all  are  embalmed  in  these  familiar  words. 
The  old  song  has  entered  into  our  deepest 
thought  and  feeling;  it  has  become  a  veritable 
part  of  our  religion;  it  has  acquired  a  sacred 
meaning.  It  therefore  merits  a  place  in  our  Story 
of  the  American  Hymn. 

The  author,  Francis  Scott  Key,  was  born  in 
Frederick  County,  Maryland,  in  1780.  His 
father  fought  with  distinction  as  an  officer  in 
the  Continental  army.  The  son  was  educated  at 
Saint  John's  College,  Annapolis,  afterward  en- 
tering the  profession  of  law.  For  a  number  of 
years  before  his  death,  in  1843,  he  was  United 
States  District  Attorney  in  Washington. 

In  August,  1814,  when  the  British  troops  re- 
turned to  their  ships  after  raiding  the  capital  city, 
they  took  with  them  Dr.  Beanes,  a  prominent 
physician  of  Upper  Marlborough,  who  had  been 
arrested  on  false  charges.  Alarmed  for  his 
safety,  the  doctor's  friends  appealed  to  Mr.  Key 

135 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

to  try  to  secure  his  release.  With  the  official  sanc- 
tion of  President  Madison,  and  accompanied  by 
Colonel  Skinner,  Mr.  Key  set  out  in  the  United 
States  cartel  ship  "Minden."  He  overtook  the 
British  fleet  and  secured  the  promise  of  Admiral 
Cochrane  that  the  prisoner  should  be  freed.  But 
the  entire  American  party  was  detained  pending 
an  attack  on  Baltimore  which  was  about  to  be 
made. 

On  the  day  when  the  bombardment  of  Fort 
McHenry,  defending  the  water  approach  to  the 
city,  began,  the  "Minden,"  with  Mr.  Key  and  his 
friends  aboard,  occupied  a  position  from  which 
the  flag  at  the  fort  was  distinctly  seen.  Night 
fell  and  the  darkness  was  made  visible  by  the 
glare  of  shot  and  shell.  At  length,  utterly 
fatigued,  his  comrades  retired  below,  but  Mr. 
Key  remained  on  watch.  So  long  as  the  bom- 
bardment continued,  he  knew  that  the  fort  had 
not  fallen,  but  when,  toward  morning,  the  firing 
ceased,  he  was  filled  with  foreboding.  He  paced 
the  deck  of  the  little  vessel  in  an  agony  of  sus- 
pense. He  afterward  said  that  it  was  the  most 
trying  hour  of  his  life.  Watch  in  hand,  he  lis- 
tened to  the  ticking  of  the  seconds.  At  last,  "by 
the  dawn's  early  light,"  his  straining  gaze  showed 
him  that  the  "flag  was  still  there."  With  bound- 
ing heart  he  took  the  first  piece  of  paper  he  could 
find,  an  old  letter  in  his  pocket,  and  on  the  back 

136 


LELAND,  HOLDEN,  KEY,  PIERPONT 

of  it  he  wrote  his  immortal  lyric.  The  paper 
was  so  scanty  that  only  brief  notes  were  made  of 
some  of  the  lines. 

Shortly  after  sunrise  the  British  admiral  re- 
leased the  American  ship.  As  soon  as  he  reached 
Baltimore,  Mr.  Key  wrote  out  the  song  in  full, 
and  the  next  morning  he  showed  it  to  Judge 
Nicholson,  his  brother-in-law.  The  judge,  who 
had  commanded  a  volunteer  company  of  artillery 
in  the  fight,  was  so  delighted  with  it  that  it  was 
at  once  given  to  the  printer,  who  struck  off  copies 
in  handbill  form,  for  distribution  on  the  street. 
Ferdinand  Durang,  a  musician,  picked  up  a 
copy  and  instantly  caught  the  spirit  of  the  lines. 
Adapting  the  words  to  the  tune  of  "Anacreon  in 
Heaven,"  he  mounted  a  chair  in  an  old  tavern 
and  sang  them  for  the  first  time,  the  bystanders 
joining  in  the  chorus.  The  whole  city  took  up 
the  song,  and  then  it  passed  out  to  the  nation. 
Never  was  the  sentiment  more  appreciated  than 
at  the  present  time : 

"O  thus  be  it  ever,  when  freemen  shall  stand 

Between  their  loved  homes  and  the  war's  desola- 
tion; 
Blest  with   victory   and   peace,   may   the  heav'n 

rescued  land 
Praise  the  Power  that  hath  made  and  preserved 

us  a  nation! 

Then  conquer  we  must,  when  our  cause  it  is  just, 
And  this  be  our  motto,  'In  God  is  our  trust'; 

137 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

And  the  Star  Spangled  Banner  in  triumph  shall 

wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free    and    the    home  of  the 

brave." 

Had  we  nothing  more  than  these  lines  to  in- 
form us,  it  would  be  clear  that  the  writer  was  a 
humble  believer  in  Almighty  God.  But  we 
know  further  that  he  was  a  devout  Christian,  a 
member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and 
a  zealous  supporter  of  the  evangelical  wing  of 
that  church.  He  held  a  lay  reader's  license,  and 
for  years  read  the  service  and  visited  the  sick; 
while  in  the  Sunday  school  he  taught  a  Bible 
class  for  young  men.  He  was  no  less  earnest  in 
his  own  home.  He  conducted  family  prayers 
twice  every  day,  and  all  the  members  of  the 
household,  including  the  servants,  were  required 
to  be  present.  The  last  line  of  one  of  his  own 
hymns  was  his  motto  both  in  public  and  in  pri- 
vate, "Let  my  life  show  forth  thy  praise."  He 
lived  in  a  slaveholding  community,  and  Roger 
B.  Taney,  afterward  Chief  Justice  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  and  author  of  the  unfortunate 
"Dred  Scott  Decision,"  was  his  brother-in-law. 
Yet  Mr.  Key  deplored  slavery,  and  long  before 
the  subject  was  seriously  agitated  he  freed  his 
own  slaves,  and  to  the  end  of  his  life  he  made 
every  effort  to  improve  the  condition  of  the  Ne- 
groes. 

138 


LELAND,  HOLDEN,  KEY,  PIERPONT 

Mr.  Key  was  a  poet  of  considerable  merit. 
The  hymn  just  alluded  to  is  his  best,  and  has 
been  sung  for  years.  As  it  appeared  in  Dr. 
Muhlenberg's  Church  Poetry  in  1823,  there  were 
only  three  stanzas,  and  ever  since  it  has  been 
used  in  this  form.  But  in  1900  Dr.  Louis  F. 
Benson  secured  at  an  auction  sale  a  copy  of  the 
hymn  in  Mr.  Key's  autograph,  and  here  four 
stanzas  are  given.  The  one  so  long  missing  is 
number  three  as  it  appears  in  the  following  com- 
plete version: 

"Lord,  with  glowing  heart  I'd  praise  thee 

For  the  bliss  thy  love  bestows, 
For  the  pardoning  grace  that  saves  me, 

And  the  peace  that  from  it  flows: 
Help,  O  God,  my  weak  endeavor; 

This  dull  soul  to  rapture  raise: 
Thou  must  light  the  flame,  or  never 

Can  my  love  be  warmed  to  praise. 

"Praise,  my  soul,  the  God  that  sought  thee, 

Wretchc'd  wanderer,  far  astray; 
Found  thee  lost,  and  kindly  brought  thee 

From  the  paths  of  death  away: 
Praise,  with  love's  devoutest  feeling, 

Him  who  saw  thy  guilt-born  fear, 
And,  the  light  of  hope  revealing, 

Bade  the  blood-stained  cross  appear. 

"Praise  thy  Saviour  God  that  drew  thee 

To  that  cross,  new  life  to  give, 
Held  a  blood-sealed  pardon  to  thee, 
Bade  thee  look  to  him  and  live. 
139 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Praise  the  grace  whose  threats  alarmed  thee, 

Roused  thee  from  thy  fatal  ease, 
Praise  the  grace  whose  promise  warmed  thee, 

Praise  the  grace  that  whispered  peace. 

"Lord,  this  bosom's  ardent  feeling 

Vainly  would  my  lips  express: 
Low  before  thy  footstool  kneeling, 

Deign  thy  suppliant's  prayer  to  bless: 
Let  thy  grace,  my  soul's  chief  treasure, 

Love's  pure  flame  within  me  raise; 
And,  since  words  can  never  measure, 

Let  my  life  show  forth  thy  praise." 

While  on  a  visit  to  Baltimore,  not  far  from  the 
spot  where  "The  Star  Spangled  Banner"  was 
first  sung,  Francis  Scott  Key  died,  on  January 
11, 1843.  A  beautiful  bronze  figure  on  a  granite 
base  marks  his  resting  place  in  Frederick,  Mary- 
land, and  a  monument  in  his  honor,  provided  for 
in  a  bequest  by  James  Lick,  the  founder  of  the 
Lick  Observatory,  adorns  the  Golden  Gate  Park, 
San  Francisco. 

JOHN  PIERPONT 

1785-1866 

In  1824  the  Rev.  John  Pierpont  of  Boston, 
already  widely  known  as  a  writer  of  poetry,  was 
asked  to  contribute  a  hymn  to  be  sung  at  the 
opening  of  a  new  church  in  Salem,  Massachu- 
setts. He  responded  by  sending  a  lyric  of  which 
Mr.  W.  Garrett  Horder,  the  English  hymn- 
critic,  has  said,  "It  is  the  earliest  really  great 

140 


LELAKD,  HOLDEN,  KEY,  PIERPONT 

hymn  I  have  found  in  an  American  writer."  The 
stanzas  now  in  use  are  as  follows : 

"O  Thou,  to  whom,  in  ancient  time, 

The  lyre  of  Hebrew  bards  was  strung, 
Whom  kings  adored  in  song  sublime, 

And  prophets  praised  with  glowing  tongue; 

"Not  now  on  Zion's  height  alone 

Thy  favored  worshiper  may  dwell, 
Nor  where,  at  sultry  noon,  thy  Son 
Sat  weary  by  the  patriarch's  well. 

"From  every  place  below  the  skies, 

The  grateful  song,  the  fervent  prayer, 
The  incense  of  the  heart,  may  rise 

To  heaven,  and  find  acceptance  there. 

"O  Thou,  to  whom,  in  ancient  tjme, 

The  lyre  of  prophet  bards  was  strung, 
To  Thee  at  last,  in  every  clime, 

Shall  temples  rise,  and  praise  be  sung." 

John  Pierpont  was  born  in  Litchfield,  Con- 
necticut, in  1785,  and  graduated  from  Yale  in 
1804.  He  became  a  lawyer  and  practiced  for 
several  years.  Then  he  heard  a  call  to  the  minis- 
try, and  in  1819  he  entered  on  the  pastorate  of 
the  Hollis  Street  Unitarian  Church,  Boston. 
There  he  remained  for  more  than  twenty  years, 
and  had  he  been  a  time-server  he  might  have  con- 
tinued much  longer.  But  he  was  a  militant  re- 
former; he  abhorred  intemperance  and  slavery. 
His  parishioners  tried  to  silence  him  and  failed, 

141 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

and  when  they  sought  to  drive  him  out  they 
failed  again.  But  at  last  he  voluntarily  with- 
drew and  became  pastor  of  another  church.  The 
indomitable  spirit  of  the  man  was  shown  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  when,  past  the  age  of 
seventy-six,  he  hurried  to  the  front  to  serve  as 
chaplain  of  a  Massachusetts  regiment. 

During  his  long  life  he  wrote  much  and  well. 
He  was  often  appealed  to  for  hymns  for  special 
occasions,  so  much  so  that  he  once  referred  to 
the  bulk  of  his  poems  as  "the  wares  of  a  verse- 
wright,  made  to  order."  But  many  of  them  were 
full  of  spontaneity.  The  hymn  on '"The  Great- 
ness of  the  Father,"  is  one  of  his  best: 

"God  Almighty  and  All-seeing! 

Holy  One,  in  whom  we  all 
Live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being, 
Hear  us  when  on  thee  we  call; 

Father,  hear  us 
As  before  thy  throne  we  fall. 

"Of  all  good  art  thou  the  Giver; 

Weak  and  wandering  ones  are  we; 
Then  forever,  yea,  forever, 
In  thy  presence  would  we  be; 

O,  be  near  us, 
That  we  wander  not  from  thee.'* 


142 


a 


CHAPTER  IX 

TAPPAN,   G.   W.   DOANE,   SEARS, 
WATERBURY 

WILLIAM  BINGHAM  TAPPAN 

1794-1849 

ONE  day,  in  the  year  1815,  when  the  lumber- 
ing mail  coach  from  New  York  rolled  into  Phil- 
adelphia, there  alighted  a  young  fellow  by  the 
name  of  Tappan.  He  was  a  stranger,  twenty- 
one  years  old,  looking  for  work  in  making  and 
repairing  clocks.  No  one  to  have  seen  him  would 
have  dreamed  that  he  would  make  any  sort  of 
impress  on  the  world;  still  less  would  they  have 
thought  so  if  they  had  known  his  meager  prep- 
aration for  an  important  work  in  life.  And  yet 
this  young  man  sent  out  no  less  than  ten  volumes 
of  poetry,  and  while  most  of  it  was  commonplace, 
there  were  several  sacred  pieces  which  now,  after 
a  hundred  years,  are  still  widely  sung  in  the 
churches,  and  are  likely  to  be  prized  for  a  long 
time  to  come.  And  furthermore,  as  an  evangel- 
ist and  Sunday  school  worker,  both  east  and  west, 
he  made  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  advance- 
ment of  the  Kingdom. 

William  B.  Tappan  was  born  in  Beverley, 
Massachusetts,  in  1794.  Twelve  years  later  his 

143 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

father  died,  and  as  was  usual  with  boys  of  lim- 
ited means  in  those  days,  he  at  once  started  out 
to  earn  his  own  living.  He  was  apprenticed  to 
a  clockmaker  in  Boston,  with  whom  he  spent  the 
next  nine  years.  As  he  grew  up  he  fell  in  with 
evil  companions,  and  only  the  appeals  and 
prayers  of  a  godly  mother  saved  him  from  a  thor- 
oughly bad  life.  He  was  restless  at  his  trade, 
and  the  moment  he  was  twenty-one  and  the  fet- 
ters of  his  apprenticeship  were  broken,  he  deter- 
mined to  get  far  away  from  his  old  surround- 
ings, and  therefore  started  out  on  what  was  then 
the  very  long  journey  to  Philadelphia.  He 
worked  at  the  clock-bench  for  a  while,  but  was 
not  contented.  Ever  since  his  boyhood  he  had 
longed  to  be  a  student  and  a  writer,  but  he  had 
been  hindered  at  every  step.  All  told  he  had  at- 
tended school  only  six  months,  and  the  most  that 
he  knew  was  what  his  father  had  taught  him  at 
home,  and  what  he  himself  had  picked  up  from 
industrious  reading  in  spare  moments. 

As  soon  as  possible  he  gave  up  his  trade  and 
turned  to  general  study  and  literary  pursuits.  In 
1819  he  published  his  first  book,  New  England 
and  Other  Poems.  We  are  especially  interested 
in  this  little  volume,  for  it  contains  a  piece  en- 
titled "Heaven,  a  Place  of  Rest."  Years  after- 
ward, referring  to  this  poem,  the  author  said: 
"It  was  written  by  me  in  Philadelphia,  in  the 


TAPPAN,  G.  W.  DOANE,  SEARS 

summer  of  1818,  for  the  Franklin  Gazette, 
edited  by  Richard  Bache,  Esq.,  and  was  intro- 
duced by  him  to  the  public  in  terms  sufficiently 
flattering  to  a  young  man  who  then  certainly 
lacked  confidence  in  himself.  The  piece  was  re- 
published  in  England  and  on  the  Continent,  in 
various  newspapers  and  magazines,  and  was  also 
extensively  circulated  in  my  own  native  land." 
Excepting  the  second  stanza  it  is  widely  sung  at 
the  present  time: 

"There  is  an  hour  of  peaceful  rest, 
To  mourning  wanderers  given; 
There  is  a  joy  for  souls  distressed, 
A  balm  for  every  wounded  breast, 
'Tis  found  above — in  heaven. 

"There  is  a  soft,  a  downy  bed, 

Far  from  these  shades  of  even — 
A  couch  for  weary  mortals  spread, 
Where  they  may  rest  the  aching  head 
And  find  repose — in  heaven. 

"There  is  a  home  for  weary  souls 

By  sin  and  sorrow  driven, 
When  tossed  on  life's  tempestuous  shoals, 
Where  storms  arise  and  ocean  rolls, 

And  all  is  drear — 'tis  heaven. 

"There  faith  lifts  up  the  tearless  eye 

To  brighter  prospects  given; 
And  views  the  tempest  passing  by, 
The  evening  shadows  quickly  fly, 
And  all  serene — in  heaven. 
145 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"There  fragrant  flowers  immortal  bloom, 

And  joys  supreme  are  given; 
There  rays  divine  disperse  the  gloom: 
Beyond  the  confines  of  the  tomb 

Appears  the  dawn — of  heaven." 

Encouraged  by  his  first  literary  venture,  in 
1822  Mr.  Tappan  sent  out  a  second  volume  of 
poems.  Here  we  find  those  lines  of  subdued, 
tender  solemnity: 

"  'Tis  midnight;  and  on  Olives'  brow 

The  star  is  dimmed  that  lately  shone: 
'Tis  midnight;  in  the  garden  now, 
The  suffering  Saviour  prays  alone." 

This  hymn,  entitled  "Gethsemane,"  has  long 
been  accepted  as  a  worthy  member  of  the  se- 
lect family  of  Passion  hymns.  As  sung  to  the 
plaintive  melody  by  William  B.  Bradbury,  with 
which  it  is  familiarly  associated,  it  has  had  an 
extensive  use. 

When  Nettleton's  Village  Hymns  appeared  in 
1824,  they  included  one  on  "Love,"  by  Tappan. 
Now  almost  forgotten,  it  was  once  quite  popular, 
and  Professor  F.  M.  Bird  was  inclined  to  give  it 
first  place  among  Tappan's  hymns.  Whatever 
its  relative  merit,  it  deserves  to  be  brought  out 
of  its  obscurity  and  quoted  in  this  connection: 

"The  ransomed  spirit  to  her  home, 

The  clime  of  cloudless  beauty,  flies; 
No  more  on  stormy  seas  to  roam, 
She  hails  her  heaven  in  the  skies: 
146 


TAPPAN,  G.  W.  DOANE,  SEARS 

But  cheerless  are  those  heavenly  fields, 
The  cloudless  clime  no  pleasure  yields, 
There  is  no  bliss  in  bowers  above, 
If  thou  art  absent,  HOLY  LOVE! 

"The  Cherub  near  the  viewless  throne 

Hath  smote  the  harp  with  trembling  hand; 
And  One  with  incense-fire  hath  flown, 

To  touch  with  flame  the  angel-band: 
But  tuneless  is  the  quivering  string, 
No  melody  can  Gabriel  bring, 
Mute  are  its  arches  when  above, 
The  harps  of  heaven  wake  not  to  LOVE! 

"Earth,  sea,  and  sky  one  language  speak, 
In  harmony  that  soothes  the  soul; 

'Tis  heard  when  scarce  the  zephyrs  wake, 
And  when  on  thunders,  thunders  roll : 

That  voice  is  heard  and  tumults  cease, 

It  whispers  to  the  bosom  peace; 

O,  speak,  Inspirer!  from  above, 

And  cheer  our  hearts,  CELESTIAL  LOVE! 

Tappan's  best  hymns  were  all  written  in  his 
early  manhood.  In  1826  he  accepted  a  position 
with  the  newly  organized  American  Sunday 
School  Union,  which  he  retained  to  the  close  of 
his  life.  To  increase  his  opportunity  for  doing 
good,  in  1841  he  was  licensed  as  a  Congregational 
minister.  Both  east  and  west  he  rendered  valu- 
able service  for  the  Master.  Death  came  sud- 
denly, from  cholera,  in  1849. 


147 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  DOANE 

1799-1859 

For  many  years  George  Washington  Doane 
was  a  notable  figure  in  the  religious  life  of 
America.  Born  in  1799,  graduating  with  the 
highest  honors  from  Union  College  at  the  age  of 
nineteen,  ordained  to  the  Episcopal  priesthood, 
a  teacher  at  Trinity  College,  Hartford,  then  rec- 
tor of  Trinity  Church,  Boston,  when  thirty-three 
years  old  he  was  made  bishop  of  New  Jersey. 
Here  he  remained  till  his  death  in  1859,  witness- 
ing during  those  twenty-seven  years  an  aston- 
ishing growth  throughout  his  diocese.  He  was 
an  indefatigable  worker,  shrinking  from  no  toil 
or  hardship,  thinking  nothing  of  keeping  at  a 
task  for  twenty  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four. 
He  was  a  High-Churchman,  of  the  militant  sort, 
and  wherever  he  went  he  fearlessly  propagated 
his  beliefs.  He  loved  controversy  and  he  had  it 
to  his  heart's  content.  "My  father  was  a  man 
of  war  from  his  youth,"  wrote  the  son. 

But  if  he  was  an  ecclesiastical  warrior,  he  was 
something  more;  he  was  a  Christian  poet.  Two 
generations  have  gone  by  since  he  died,  and  the 
oldtime  controversies  are  quite  forgotten;  but 
the  man  himself  is  lovingly  remembered,  for  not 
a  week,  scarcely  a  day,  passes,  that  his  hymns 
are  not  sung  in  home  or  sanctuary.  His  son, 
the  Rt.  Rev.  William  C.  Doane,  for  many  years 

148 


TAPPAN,  G.  W.  DOANE,  SEARS 

Bishop  of  Albany,  has  told  us  that  his  "father's 
poetical  writings  were  simple  necessities.  He 
could  not  help  them.  His  heart  was  so  full 
of  song.  It  oozed  out  in  his  conversation,  in 
his  sermons,  in  everything  that  he  did.  Some- 
times in  a  steamboat,  often  when  the  back  of 
a  letter  was  his  only  paper,  the  sweetest  things 
came." 

While  he  wrote  many  lyrics  he  is  chiefly  re- 
membered for  three.    In  1824,  just  as  he  was  en- 

• 

tering  on  his  life  work,  he  published  a  small  vol- 
ume, now  very  scarce,  Songs  by  the  Way.  One 
of  the  songs  was  entitled  "Evening,"  based  on 
the  words  of  the  Psalmist,  "Let  my  prayer  be  set 
forth  before  thee  as  incense;  and  the  lifting  up 
of  my  hands  as  the  evening  sacrifice."  It  was 
at  once  recognized  as  a  hymn  of  rare  beauty,  and 
two  years  later  it  was  given  a  permanent  stand- 
ing by  being  received  into  the  American  Prayer 
Book  Collection.  Originally  there  were  four 
stanzas,  as  follows: 

"Softly  now  the  light  of  day 

Fades  upon  my  sight  away; 
Free  from  care,  from  labor  free, 
Lord,  I  would  commune  with  thee. 

"Thou,  whose  all-pervading  eye 

Naught  escapes,  without,  within, 
Pardon  each  infirmity, 
Open  fault,  and  secret  sin. 
149 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"Soon,  for  me,  the  light  of  day 

Shall  forever  pass  away; 
Then,  from  sin  and  sorrow  free, 
Take  me,  Lord,  to  dwell  with  thee. 

"Thou,  who,  sinless,  yet  hast  known, 

All  of  man's  infirmity; 
Then  from  thine  eternal  throne, 
Jesus,  look  with  pitying  eye." 

In  most  hymn  books  the  piece  appears  in  this 
form,  but  it  is  stronger  with  the  last  stanza 
omitted;  the  first  three  are  complete  in  them- 
selves. This  hymn  is  sung  the  world  over,  wher- 
ever the  English  tongue  is  spoken.  It  is  great 
in  its  simplicity.  In  1837  Bishop  Doane  founded 
Saint  Mary's  Hall,  a  church  school  for  girls,  at 
Burlington,  New  Jersey.  He  is  buried  in  the 
neighboring  churchyard.  We  are  told  that  "every 
Wednesday  evening,  in  the  chapel  service, 
'Softly  now  the  light  of  day'  is  sung  as  a  sort  of 
requiem,  or  memorial,  by  young  voices  that  are 
taught  to  reverence  the  founder  whom  they  only 
know  by  tradition." 

In  Songs  by  the  Way  there  was  another  poem 
which  found  a  place  in  the  Prayer  Book  Collec- 
tion, and  which  is  in  extensive  use  both  at  home 
and  abroad — the  one  beginning,  "Thou  art  the 
Way:  to  Thee  alone."  It  is  based  on  the  words 
of  Jesus,  in  John  14.  6.  Metrical  expositions 
of  Scriptures  are  apt  to  be  stilted  and  spiritless, 

150 


TAPPAN,  G.  W.  DOANE,  SEARS 

but  this  one  is  a  success.  We  cannot  agree  with 
those  who  declare  that  it  is  "the  first  of  American 
hymns,"  for  Bishop  Doane  himself  rose  higher 
on  occasion;  but  it  certainly  merits  the  place 
which  it  has  held  in  our  hymnody  for  nearly  a 
hundred  years — really  useful  if  not  great. 

"Thou  art  the  Way: — to  thee  alone 

From  sin  and  death  we  flee; 
And  he  who  would  the  Father  seek, 
Must  seek  him,  Lord,  by  thee. 

"Thou  art  the  Truth: — thy  word  alone 

True  wisdom  can  impart; 
Thou  only  canst  inform  the  mind, 
And  purify  the  heart. 

"Thou  art  the  Life: — the  rending  tomb 

Proclaims  thy  conquering  arm; 
And  those  who  put  their  trust  in  thee 
Nor  death  nor  hell  shall  harm. 

"Thou  art  the  Way,  the  Truth,  the  Life; 

Grant  us  that  way  to  know, 
That  truth  to  keep,  that  life  to  win, 
Whose  joys  eternal  flow." 

In  the  Episcopal  Church  Bishop  Doane  was 
known  as  the  missionary  bishop  of  America.  It 
was  during  his  boyhood  and  student  days  that  the 
wave  of  missionary  enthusiasm  swept  over  the 
country,  when  Missionary  Boards  and  Societies 
were  organized,  and  Monthly  Missionary  Con- 
certs were  held  in  the  churches;  when  collections 
were  taken  and  shiploads  of  workers  sent  to  the 

151 


field.  The  Protestant  Episcopal  Board  began 
its  history  in  1820.  Fifteen  years  later,  its  con- 
stitution was  completely  changed,  placing  the 
Board  on  a  broader  foundation,  with  a  vision  and 
a  program.  In  the  work  of  reorganization, 
young  Bishop  Doane  had  a  conspicuous  part, 
and  on  through  the  years  his  inspiring  leader- 
ship was  constantly  in  evidence.  One  of  his 
greatest  sermons,  still  read  with  delight,  was 
preached  in  1837,  on  "The  Missionary  Charter 
of  the  Church." 

We  are  not  surprised  that  his  noblest  lyric  is 
a  trumpet  call  to  the  church,  to  "Fling  out  the 
banner!"  of  Jesus  Christ  to  all  the  earth.  The 
figure  is  taken  from  the  words  of  the  Psalmist: 
"Thou  hast  given  a  banner  to  them  that  fear  thee, 
that  it  may  be  displayed  because  of  the  truth." 
Undoubtedly  this  hymn,  with  its  swift  succession 
of  vivid  pictures  and  its  ringing  challenge,  is  one 
of  our  greatest  missionary  lyrics.  But  even  the 
best  words,  to  be  popular  in  song,  need  an  appro- 
priate melody.  Professor  Breed  calls  attention 
to  the  fact  that  it  was  the  happy  joining  of  this 
hymn  to  the  spirited  tune  by  J.  B.  Calkin  that 
had  much  to  do  with  bringing  it  into  widespread 
use. 

"Fling  out  the  banner!  let  it  float 

Skyward  and  seaward,  high  and  wide; 
The  sun  that  lights  its  shining  folds, 

The  cross,  on  which  the  Saviour  died. 
152 


TAPPAN,  G.  W.  DOANE,  SEARS 

"Fling  out  the  banner!  angels  bend 
In  anxious  silence  o'er  the  sign, 
And  vainly  seek  to  comprehend 
The  wonder  of  the  love  divine. 

"Fling  out  the  banner!  heathen  lands 

Shall  see  from  far  the  glorious  sight, 
And  nations,  crowding  to  be  born, 
Baptize  their  spirits  in  its  light. 

"Fling  out  the  banner!  sin-sick  souls 

That  sink  and  perish  in  the  strife 
Shall  touch  in  faith  its  radiant  hem, 
And  spring  immortal  into  life. 

"Fling  out  the  banner!  let  it  float 

Skyward  and  seaward,  high  and  wide, 
Our  glory,  only  in  the  cross; 
Our  only  hope,  the  Crucified! 

"Fling  out  the  banner!  wide  and  high, 
Seaward  and  skyward  let  it  shine; 
Nor  skill,  nor  might,  nor  merit  ours; 
We  conquer  only  in  that  sign." 

EDMUND  HAMILTON  SEARS 

1810-1876 

Edmund  Hamilton  Sears  was  born  in  Berk- 
shire County,  Massachusetts,  in  1810.  He  grad- 
uated from  Union  College  in  the  class  of  '34,  and 
three  years  later  completed  his  theological  course 
at  the  Harvard  Divinity  School.  Entering  the 
Unitarian  ministry,  he  served  in  the  pastorate 
for  nearly  two  score  years.  He  also  found  time 

153 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

to  write.  His  books  on  Regeneration,  Fore- 
gleams  of  Immortality,  and  the  Fourth  Gospel 
the  Heart  of  Christ,  and  on  other  subjects,  were 
widely  read  and  highly  appreciated  outside  as 
well  as  within  his  own  denomination.  He  had  a 
poetic  vein  which  not  only  gave  a  peculiar  charm 
to  his  prose  style,  but  which  expressed  itself  in 
many  poems  of  unusual  merit. 

Though  his  treatises  are  to-day  rarely  read  and 
his  sermons  are  wellnigh  forgotten,  his  poetical 
work  has  made  his  fame  imperishable ;  especially 
his  two  Christmas  hymns,  the  finest  of  American 
origin — poems  that  worthily  take  a  place  with  the 
choicest  nativity  lyrics  in  English  hymnody. 
More  than  once  in  these  pages  attention  is  called 
to  the  significant  fact  that  very  many  of  our  lead- 
ing hymns  were  written  when  the  authors  were 
quite  young.  Mr.  Sears  was  barely  out  of  college 
when  he  contributed  to  the  Boston  Observer  his 
"Christmas  Song."  Its  striking  superiority  to 
the  great  mass  of  sacred  verse  that  was  coming 
from  American  pens  was  quickly  seen,  and  it  was 
accorded  a  place  of  high  honor  which  it  has  held 
ever  since.  We  give  it  here  as  emended  by  the 
author : 

"Calm  on  the  listening  ear  of  night 

Come  Heaven's  melodious  strains, 
Where  wild  Judea  stretches  far 
Her  silver-mantled  plains; 
154 


TAPPAN,  G.  W.  DOANE,  SEARS 

Celestial  choirs  from  courts  above 

Shed  sacred  glories  there; 
And  angels  with  their  sparkling  lyres 

Make  music  on  the  air. 

"The  answering  hills  of  Palestine 

Send  back  the  glad  reply, 
And  greet  from  all  their  holy  heights 

The  day-spring  from  on  high. 
O'er  the  blue  depths  of  Galilee 

There  comes  a  holier  calm; 
And  Sharon  waves,  in  solemn  praise, 

Her  silent  groves  of  palm. 

*  'Glory  to  God!'  The  lofty  strain 

The  realm  of  ether  fills; 
How  sweeps  the  song  of  solemn  joy 

O'er  Judah's  sacred  hills! 
'Glory  to  God !'  The  sounding  skies 

Loud  with  their  anthems  ring: 
'Peace  on  the  earth;  good-will  to  men, 

From  Heaven's  eternal  King.' 

"Light  on  thy  hills,  Jerusalem! 

The  Saviour  now  is  born: 
More  bright  on  Bethelehem's  joyous  plains 

Breaks  the  first  Christmas  morn; 
And  brighter  on  Moriah's  brow, 

Crowned  with  her  temple-spires, 
Which  first  proclaim  the  new-born  light, 

Clothed  with  its  orient  fires. 

"This  day  shall  Christian  hearts  be  mute 

And  Christian  hearts  be  cold? 
Oh,  catch  the  anthem  that  from  heaven 
O'er  Judah's  mountains  rolled! 
155 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

When  nightly  burst  from  seraph-harps 

The  high  and  solemn  lay, 
'Glory  to  God!'  on  earth  be  peace; 

Salvation  comes  to-day!" 

No  wonder  that  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  in  a 
course  of  lectures  before  the  Lowell  Institute  in 
Boston,  pronounced  this  "one  of  the  finest  and 
most  beautiful  hymns  ever  written." 

If  Dr.  Sears  had  done  nothing  more,  this  one 
song  would  have  sufficed  to  give  him  an  assured 
place  among  our  American  hymn  writers.  But 
in  1849  he  enriched  our  hymnody  with  that  other 
glorious  lyric,  "It  came  upon  the  midnight  clear." 
Dr.  Morison  wrote  of  it:  "Sears'  second  Christ- 
mas hymn  was  sent  to  me  as  editor  of  the  Chris- 
tian Register,  I  think,  in  December,  1849.  I  was 
very  much  delighted  with  it.  ...  I  always  feel 
that,  however  poor  my  Christmas  sermon  may  be, 
the  reading  and  singing  of  this  hymn  are  enough 
to  make  up  for  all  deficiencies."  It  should  be  re- 
membered that  Dr.  Sears  was  a  Unitarian  in 
name  rather  than  in  fact.  Throughout  his  life 
he  held  to  the  absolute  divinity  of  Christ.  The 
lines  that  follow  are  full  of  Heaven's  sweetest 
music;  they  seem  to  sing  themselves.  Listen  to 
their  note  of  good  cheer !  What  a  glorious  vision, 
what  triumphant  faith!  There  never  was  a 
time  to  which  they  were  better  suited  than  the 
present. 

156 


TAPPAN,  G.  W.  DOANE,  SEARS 

"It  came  upon  the  midnight  clear, 

That  glorious  song  of  old, 
From  angels  bending  near  the  earth 

To  touch  their  harps  of  gold; 
'Peace  on  the  earth,  good  will  to  men, 

From  heaven's  all-gracious  King:' 
The  world  in  solemn  stillness  lay 

To  hear  the  angels  sing. 

"Still  through  the  cloven  skies  they  come 

With  peaceful  wings  unfurled, 
And  still  their  heavenly  music  floats 

O'er  all  the  weary  world; 
Above  its  sad  and  lowly  plains 

They  bend  on  hovering  wing, 
And  ever  o'er  its  Babel  sounds 

The  blessed  angels  sing. 

"Yet  with  the  woes  of  sin  and  strife 

The  world  hath  suffered  long; 
Beneath  the  angel-strain  have  rolled 

Two  thousand  years  of  wrong; 
And  man,  at  war  with  man,  hears  not 

The  love  song  which  they  bring: 
O  hush  the  noise,  ye  men  of  strife, 

And  hear  the  angels  sing! 

"And  ye,  beneath  life's  crushing  load, 

Whose  forms  are  bending  low, 
Who  toil  along  the  climbing  way 
With  painful  steps  and  slow- 
Look  now!  for  glad  and  golden  hours 

Come  swiftly  on  the  wing: 
O  rest  beside  the  weary  road, 
And  hear  the  angels  sing! 
157 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"For  lo!  the  days  are  hastening  on 

By  prophet-bards  foretold, 
When  with  the  ever-circling  years 

Comes  round  the  age  of  gold; 
When  peace  shall  over  all  the  earth 

Its  ancient  splendors  fling, 
And  the  whole  world  send  back  the  song 

Which  now  the  angels  sing." 

JARED  BELL  WATERBURY 

1799-1876 

"Soldiers  of  the  cross,  arise! 
Lo!  your  Leader  from  the  skies 
Waves  before  you  glory's  prize, 

The  prize  of  victory. 
Seize  your  armor,  gird  it  on; 
Now  the  battle  will  be  won; 
See,  the  strife  will  soon  be  done; 

Then  struggle  manfully." 

The  militant  hymn  which  opens  with  this 
stanza  first  appeared  in  the  Christian  Lyre,  pub- 
lished by  Joshua  Leavitt  in  1831.  It  was  one  of 
the  choicest  pieces  in  that  collection  and  it  has 
lived  through  all  the  years.  Bishop  Warren  re- 
garded it  so  highly  that  he  included  it  among  his 
"Fifty-Two  Memory  Hymns."  It  was  written 
by  Tared  Bell  Waterbury,  who  was  born  in  New 
York  City  in  1799,  and  who  became  an  eminently 
useful  Congregational  minister.  He  was  the 
author  of  several  hymns,  most  of  them  belonging 
to  his  early  manhood,  but  he  is  chiefly  remem- 
bered for  his  "Soldiers  of  the  Cross." 

158 


CHAPTER  X 
HASTINGS,  MUHLENBERG 

THOMAS  HASTINGS 

1784-1872 

THOMAS  HASTINGS,  Doctor  of  Music,  is  grate- 
fully remembered  as  the  author  of  a  multitude  of 
hymns,  more  than  six  hundred  in  all,  some  of 
them  of  large  merit;  still  more,  as  the  composer 
of  some  of  our  very  finest  hymn-tunes ;  and  most 
of  all,  for  the  steady,  persistent,  uncompromis- 
ing and  successful  influence  which  he  exerted  in 
improving  the  standard  of  sacred  music  in 
America. 

His  career  is  an  eloquent  witness  to  what  reso- 
lute endeavor  can  accomplish  in  the  almost  total 
absence  of  early  opportunity.  The  son  of  a  country 
physician,  he  was  born  in  Litchfield  County, 
Connecticut,  in  1784.  Twelve  years  later,  in  the 
depth  of  winter,  the  family  migrated  by  sleigh 
and  ox-sledge,  to  Clinton,  New  York.  They 
were  now  on  the  frontier,  with  all  the  rigorous 
toil  and  hardship  that  such  a  life  entailed.  For 
eight  months  of  the  year  school  was  unthought 
of;  the  farm  demanded  all  the  time  and  strength 
of  every  child  old  enough  to  work.  When  the 

159 


ice  and  snow  came,  the  boy  eagerly  turned  to  his 
studies,  gladly  trudging  six  miles  a  day  through 
cold  and  drifts  for  the  sake  of  the  coveted  in- 
struction. A  passionate  love  for  music  was  born 
in  him,  but  what  chance  to  cultivate  it  in  that 
semiwilderness  ?  His  first  text-book  in  music 
was  a  six-penny  primer  of  four  small  pages ;  but 
he  mastered  it,  and  then  persevered  till  he  ob- 
tained something  better.  When  he  was  admitted 
to  the  choir  of  the  village  church,  and  when  at 
last  the  proud  day  came  that  he  stepped  forth  as 
the  chorister,  he  was  elated  beyond  measure. 
Later  on,  he  sought  a  position  as  teacher  of  a 
singing  school,  but  more  than  a  year  passed  be- 
fore he  found  it,  and  it  was  not  till  1816,  at 
thirty-two  years  of  age,  that  he  ventured  to 
finally  cut  loose  from  the  farm  and  other  means 
of  support  and  devote  himself  exclusively  to  his 
loved  profession.  From  that  time  till  his  death  in 
1872,  his  name  was  inseparably  connected  with 
the  progress  of  sacred  music  in  this  country. 

As  a  lecturer,  as  a  writer  of  innumerable  books 
and  articles,  and  as  the  leader  of  many  choirs,  he 
constantly  preached  the  doctrine  that  "religion 
has  the  same  claim  substantially  in  song  as  in 
speech."  The  homage  that  we  owe  Almighty 
God  calls  for  the  noblest  and  most  reverential 
tribute  that  music  can  render.  For  several  years 
he  edited  a  religious  journal,  the  Western  Re- 

160 


HASTINGS,  MUHLENBERG 

corder,  in  Utica,  using  its  columns  to  give  wider 
currency  to  his  views.  He  was  often  invited  to 
address  prominent  gatherings,  including  the 
Presbyterian  General  Assembly,  held  at  Phil- 
adelphia in  1829. 

He  had  much  to  contend  with,  for  popular 
taste  was  deficient.  In  1831,  when  Joshua  Leav- 
itt  sent  out  his  Christian  Lyre,  with  its  many  tak- 
ing tunes  of  the  "Gospel  Hymn"  variety, 
Thomas  Hastings,  in  company  with  Lowell  Ma- 
son, sought  to  counteract  what  they  regarded  as 
a  harmful  influence,  by  publishing  Spiritual 
Songs  for  Social  Worship,  to  which  reference  has 
already  been  made.  The  melodies  were  sweet 
and  simple,  but  dignified  and  churchly,  and  the 
effect  was  wholesome.  Hastings'  reputation  as 
a  musical  writer  and  director  was  so  well  estab- 
lished that  in  1832  a  group  of  New  York 
churches  united  in  sending  him  a  call  to  make 
the  metropolis  his  home.  Boston  had  Mason, 
New  York  needed  a  leader  of  similar  standing. 
He  accepted  the  invitation,  and  for  forty  years 
he  was  an  integral  part  of  the  great  city's  life. 
Among  the  hymn  books  that  he  edited  during 
those  years,  Church  Melodies,  published  in  1858, 
is  especially  remembered.  It  was  the  first 
hymnal  in  which  was  adopted  the  plan  that  soon 
became  wellnigh  universal,  of  having  the  words 
and  the  appropriate  tune  printed  on  the  same 

161 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

page.  It  was  effective  in  aiding  congregational 
singing. 

As  already  stated,  we  are  indebted  to  Dr. 
Hastings  for  some  of  our  finest  tunes,  such  as 
"Zion,"  to  which  "Guide  me,  O  thou  great  Je- 
hovah," and  several  other  hymns  of  similar  meter, 
are  sung;  and  "Ortonville,"  that  for  so  many 
years  has  been  wedded  in  exquisite  unison,  to 
"Majestic  sweetness  sits  enthroned";  and  "Re- 
treat," that  is  equally  well  adapted  to  "From 
every  stormy  wind  that  blows."  But  undoubt- 
edly the  best  tune  that  he  ever  composed  was 
"Toplady,"  to  which  "Rock  of  Ages"  is  sung. 
When  they  were  brought  together  in  1830,  it  was 
a  heaven-born  union;  it  would  be  an  unpardon- 
able offense  to  attempt  a  separation. 

Although  he  produced  more  than  six  hundred 
hymns,  no  one  would  call  Thomas  Hastings  a 
great  poet.  He  was  first  of  all  a  musician ;  hymn- 
writing  was  secondary,  and  grew  out  of  the  other. 
And  yet  the  musical  and  the  poetical  are  always 
related,  and  with  Hastings  the  kinship  was  pecu- 
liarly close.  As  he  wrote  his  tunes,  with  scarcely 
an  effort  appropriate  words  seemed  to  flow 
from  his  pen,  and  almost  before  he  was  aware  the 
hymn  took  its  place  beside  the  melody.  It  has 
been  well  said  that  he  knew  how  to  make  a  "sing- 
able hymn,"  and  that  is  more  than  some  far 
greater  poets  have  been  able  to  do.  "Come,  ye 

162 


HASTINGS,  MUHLENBERG 

disconsolate,  where'er  ye  languish,"  is  sometimes 
attributed  to  Hastings,  but  the  first  two  stanzas 
are  from  a  poem  by  Thomas  Moore;  only  the 
third  is  by  the  American ;  but  through  the  years  it 
has  held  a  place  of  credit  with  the  lines  of  the 
Irish  singer: 

"Here  see  the  bread  of  life;  see  waters  flowing 

Forth  from  the  throne  of  God,  pure  from  above; 
Come  to  the  feast  of  love;  come,  ever  knowing 
Earth  has  no  sorrow  but  Heaven  can  remove." 

In  that  first  third  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
when  the  Christian  world  was  being  stirred  with 
missionary  zeal  as  it  had  not  been  since  the  days 
of  the  apostles,  when  Sir  John  Bowring  was  com- 
posing his  "Watchman,  tell  us  of  the  night,"  and 
James  Montgomery  was  sending  out  "Hail  to 
the  Lord's  Anointed,"  and  Reginald  Heber  was 
thrilling  the  church  with  "From  Greenland's  icy 
mountains" ;  in  the  year  1832,  in  which  Samuel  F. 
Smith  wrote  "The  morning  light  is  breaking," 
Thomas  Hastings  produced  a  missionary  lyric, 
by  common  consent  the  best  of  all  his  hymns : 

"Hail  to  the  brightness  of  Zion's  glad  morning! 
Joy  to  the  lands  that  in  darkness  have  lain! 
Hushed  be  the  accents  of  sorrow  and  mourning; 
Zion  in  triumph  begins  her  mild  reign. 

"Hail  to  the  brightness  of  Zion's  glad  morning, 

Long  by  the  prophets  of  Israel  foretold! 
Hail  to  the  millions  from  bondage  returning! 
Gentiles  and  Jews  the  blest  vision  behold. 
163 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"Lo,  in  the  desert  rich  flowers  are  springing, 
Streams  ever  copious  are  gliding  along; 
Loud  from  the  mountain-tops  echoes  are  ringing, 
Wastes  rise  in  verdure,  and  mingle  in  song. 

"See,  from  all  lands,  from  the  isles  of  the  ocean, 

Praise  to  Jehovah  ascending  on  high; 
Fallen  are  the  engines  of  war  and  commotion, 
Shouts  of  salvation  are  rending  the  sky." 

To  those  not  especially  familiar  with  our 
hymnody,  the  statement  of  Professor  F.  M.  Bird, 
writing  in  1890,  in  regard  to  Dr.  Hastings,  will 
come  as  a  surprise :  "If  we  take  the  aggregate  of 
American  hymnals  published  during  the  last  fifty 
years  or  for  any  portion  of  that  time,  more  hymns 
by  him  are  found  in  common  use  than  by  any 
other  native  writer."  But  it  must  be  admitted 
that  while  his  hymns  average  well,  comparatively 
few  of  them  are  of  exceptional  merit.  One  of 
the  best  and  most  widely  used  bears  the  title, 
"Pilgrimage  of  Life."  It  was  written  in  1831, 
when  his  earliest  poems  were  appearing: 

"Gently,  Lord,  O  gently  lead  us, 
Pilgrims  in  this  vale  of  tears, 
Through  the  trials  yet  decreed  us, 
Till  our  last  great  change  appears. 

"When  temptation's  darts  assail  us, 
When  in  devious  paths  we  stray, 
Let  thy  goodness  never  fail  us, 
Lead  us  hi  thy  perfect  way. 
164 


HASTINGS,  MUHLENBERG 

"In  the  hour  of  pain  and  anguish, 

In  the  hour  when  death  draws  near, 
Suffer  not  our  hearts  to  languish, 
Suffer  not  our  souls  to  fear. 

"And,  when  mortal  life  is  ended, 
Bid  us  in  thine  arms  to  rest, 
Till,  by  angel-bands  attended, 
We  awake  among  the  blest.'* 

It  was  after  reading  this  hymn  of  childlike 
trust,  beautiful  in  its  simplicity,  that  the  late  Dr. 
Charles  S.  Robinson  exclaimed,  "His  poems 
breathe  the  air  of  heaven!" 

In  1834  Dr.  Hastings  brought  together  a 
group  of  poems  in  what  he  called  The  Mother's 
Hymn  Book.  They  bore  upon  the  dedication  of 
children  to  God,  and  kindred  topics.  One  of 
them,  with  the  title,  "Thy  will  be  done,"  became 
a  great  favorite  and  has  been  sung  at  number- 
less funerals: 

"Jesus,  while  our  hearts  are  bleeding 
O'er  the  spoils  that  death  has  won, 
We  would,  at  this  solemn  meeting, 
Calmly  say,  'Thy  will  be  done.' 

"Though  cast  down,  we're  not  forsaken; 

Though  afflicted,  not  alone: 
Thou  didst  give,  and  thou  hast  taken; 
Blessed  Lord,  'Thy  will  be  done.' 

"Though  to-day  we're  filled  with  mourning, 

Mercy  still  is  on  the  throne; 
With  thy  smiles  of  love  returning, 
We  can  sing,  'Thy  will  be  done.' 
165 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"By  thy  hands  the  boon  was  given; 
Thou  hast  taken  but  thine  own: 
Lord  of  earth,  and  God  of  heaven, 
Evermore,  'Thy  will  be  done.' ' 

WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG 

179&-1877 

On  a  certain  occasion,  in  later  years,  after  a 
stranger  on  being  introduced  to  him,  had  effu- 
sively exclaimed,  "Have  I  the  honor  of  speaking 
to  the  author  of  'I  would  not  live  alway'?"  Dr. 
Muhlenberg  somewhat  wearily  remarked  to  a 
friend,  "One  would  think  that  hymn  the  one  work 
of  my  life."  And  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  great 
majority  of  people  do  associate  him  almost  ex- 
clusively with  that  particular  poem.  But  aside 
altogether  from  his  hymns,  Dr.  Muhlenberg  has 
an  outstanding  place  in  the  church  life  of  the 
past  century. 

He  was  exceptionally  well-born,  coming  from 
a  remarkable  family.  His  great-grandsire,  "the 
blessed  and  venerable  Henry  Melchior  Muhlen- 
berg," migrated  to  this  country  in  1742,  and 
founded  the  American  Lutheran  Church.  His 
grandfather  was  president  of  the  convention 
which  ratified  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,  and  was  the  first  Speaker  of  the  new 
House  of  Representatives.  One  of  his  uncles 
was  a  clergyman,  but  his  patriotism  was  so  in- 
tense that  when  the  Revolution  broke  out  he  laid 

166 


aside  his  clerical  robes  and  entered  the  army,  be- 
coming a  general. 

William  Augustus  was  born  in  Philadelphia 
in  1796.  The  German  language  was  exclusively 
used  in  the  Lutheran  service  in  those  days,  and  as 
the  children  did  not  understand  it,  William  and 
his  little  sister  were  allowed  to  attend  Christ 
Episcopal  Church.  The  boy  grew  to  be  very 
fond  of  the  service,  especially  the  music,  and  thus 
it  came  about  that  he  drifted  from  the  ancestral 
church  and  entered  the  Episcopal  fold. 

When  he  was  a  mere  child  he  had  determined 
that  some  day  he  would  become  a  minister.  He 
was  never  diverted  from  this  thought,  and  after 
his  college  course  he  studied  theology  and  was 
ordained  an  Episcopal  clergyman.  He  preached 
for  five  years  in  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  had  an  experience  to  which  we  shall  presently 
refer.  Then  for  a  number  of  years  he  was  at  the 
head  of  a  boys'  school  which  he  himself  founded 
and  which  grew  into  Saint  Paul's  College,  at 
Flushing,  Long  Island.  In  1846,  in  his  full 
prime,  he  moved  to  New  York,  which  thereafter 
was  his  home.  What  a  work  he  did  in  those  fol- 
lowing years!  To  few  men  has  it  been  given  to 
initiate  so  many  enterprises  which  have  lived  and 
have  proved  to  be  a  great  blessing.  As  rector  of 
the  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion,  established 
by  his  sister,  he  introduced  the  system  of  free 

167 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

pews,  a  complete  novelty  in  those  days.  He 
started  the  first  boy  choir  in  New  York  City.  He 
organized  the  First  Protestant  Sisterhood.  At  a 
time  when  there  was  not  a  church  hospital  in  the 
metropolis,  and  only  two  of  any  kind,  one  for 
seamen  and  the  other  for  paupers,  he  founded 
Saint  Luke's  Hospital,  and  for  the  twenty  re- 
maining years  of  his  life  he  lived  within  its  walls, 
by  day  and  night  ministering  to  the  spiritual 
needs  of  the  inmates.  He  toiled  incessantly  to 
bring  about  a  closer  fellowship  of  all  the  churches. 
His  activities  were  countless. 

He  was  of  striking  appearance,  tall,  with  a 
massive  head  and  a  noble  face.  In  the  Recollec- 
tions of  a  Long  Life,  Dr.  Cuyler,  who  knew  him 
intimately,  writes:  "He  was  one  of  the  most 
apostolic  men  I  have  ever  known.  .  .  .  His  gray 
head  all  men  knew  in  New  York.  He  com- 
manded attention  everywhere  by  his  genial  face 
and  hearty  manner  of  speech.  .  .  .  When  very 
near  the  end,  the  chaplain  of  the  hospital  prayed 
at  his  bedside  for  his  recovery.  'Let  us  have  an 
understanding  about  this/  said  Muhlenberg. 
'You  are  asking  God  to  restore  me  and  I  am  ask- 
ing God  to  take  me  home.  There  must  not  be 
any  contradiction  in  our  prayers,  for  it  is  evident 
that  he  cannot  answer  them  both.'  This  was  char- 
acteristic of  his  bluff  frankness  as  well  as  of  his 
heavenly-mindedness — he  would  not  live  alway!" 

168 


HASTINGS,  MUHLENBERG 

Dr.  Muhlenberg  was  past  eighty  when  he  died, 
but  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  nearly  all  of  his 
hymns  which  are  sung  to-day  were  written  when 
he  was  a  young  man.  There  is  nothing  excep- 
tional in  this.  Many  poets,  hymn  writers  in  par- 
ticular, have  done  their  best  work  before  they 
were  thirty.  He  was  devotedly  fond  of  good 
church  music,  and  from  the  time  he  was  a  lad  he 
noted  the  poverty  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
matter  of  hymns.  Several  of  the  other  commun- 
ions had  Watts,  and  the  Methodists  were  well 
supplied  from  the  Wesleyan  collection,  but  the 
Episcopalians  were  limited  to  a  group  of  fifty- 
seven  hymns,  bound  up  with  the  Prayer  Book, 
together  with  the  Psalms  in  meter.  Satisfactory 
congregational  singing  was  impossible  under 
such  conditions. 

The  situation  was  so  urgent  that  in  1821,  soon 
after  entering  on  his  new  church  work  in  Lan- 
caster, young  Muhlenberg  wrote  a  tract  entitled, 
A  Plea  for  Christian  Hymns,  which  he  ad- 
dressed to  a  friend  in  the  Special  General  Con- 
vention held  in  Philadelphia  that  year.  But 
nothing  came  of  it  at  the  time;  and  so  he  boldly 
went  ahead  and  prepared  a  book  for  his  own  con- 
gregation, which  he  called  Church  Poetry.  Soon 
it  was  adopted  by  other  clergymen  in  various 
parts  of  the  country.  When  the  General  Con- 
vention was  held  in  1823,  it  was  agreed  that  "it 

169 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

was  high  time  the  church  acted  in  the  matter,  for 
if  not,  the  clergy  would  take  it  into  their  own 
hands."  Mr.  Muhlenberg  was  a  member  of  the 
convention  and  was  placed  on  the  committee  to 
prepare  the  new  hymnal.  It  is  interesting  to  note 
that  one  of  the  laymen  on  the  committee 
was  Francis  Scott  Key,  author  of  "The  Star 
Spangled  Banner."  Three  years  later  the  book 
was  finished,  and  a  remarkable  feature  of  it  was 
that  the  four  best-known  hymns  Muhlenberg 
ever  wrote  were  included. 

Among  the  hymns  that  came  before  the  com- 
mittee was  the  one  beginning,  "I  would  not  live 
alway."  Dr.  Onderdonk,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  committee,  and  who  had  already  approved 
of  the  hymn,  chanced  to  be  absent  at  this  session. 
No  one  present,  excepting  the  author,  had  ever 
seen  it  before,  and  none  suspected  that  it  had 
come  from  the  pen  of  the  young  man  who  sat 
there  with  closed  lips.  "One  of  the  members," 
says  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  "remarked  that  it  was  very 
sweet  and  pretty,  but  rather  sentimental,  upon 
which  it  was  unanimously  thrown  out,"  the  author 
voting  against  himself.  "That  I  supposed  was 
the  end  of  it.  The  committee,  which  sat  until 
late  at  night  at  the  house  of  Bishop  White,  agreed 
upon  their  report  to  the  convention,  and  ad- 
journed. But  the  next  morning,  Dr.  Onder- 
donk called  on  me  to  inquire  what  had  been  done. 

170 


HASTINGS,  MUHLENBERG 

Upon  my  telling  him  that  among  the  rejected 
hymns  was  this  one  of  mine,  he  said,  'That  will 
never  do,'  and  went  about  among  the  members  of 
the  committee  soliciting  them  to  restore  the  hymn 
in  their  report,  which  accordingly  they  did,  so 
that  to  him  is  due  the  credit  of  giving  it  to  the 
church." 

This  was  probably  the  first  hymn  that  Muhlen- 
berg  ever  wrote,  as  it  is  certainly  the  one  best 
known.  It  was  based  on  the  words  of  Job,  "I 
would  not  live  alway :  let  me  alone ;  for  my  days 
are  vanity."  As  to  what  prompted  it,  there  is 
considerable  uncertainty.  While  living  in  Lan- 
caster he  experienced  a  heartbreaking  disap- 
pointment in  a  matter  of  love,  and  for  years  the 
story  was  current  that  the  hymn  voiced  his  feel- 
ings at  that  time.  On  good  authority  the  report 
has  been  both  affirmed  and  denied.  We  know 
that  the  hymn  was  written  during  this  period; 
that  when  he  gave  up  his  work  at  Lancaster  he 
"left  behind  him  the  grave  of  his  earthly  hopes" ; 
and  that  he  never  married.  Evidently  he  wrote 
at  a  time  of  great  depression.  There  is  nothing 
akin  to  it  in  his  later  writings.  The  opening 
verses  betray  a  morbid  spirit,  utterly  unlike  what 
we  would  look  for  in  a  healthy-minded  young 
man: 

"I  would  not  live  alway;  I  ask  not  to  stay 
Where  storm  after  storm  rises  dark  o'er  the  way : 

171 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

The  few  lurid  mornings  that  dawn  on  us  here 
Are  enough  for  life's  woes,  full  enough  for  its  cheer. 

"I  would  not  live  alway;  no,  welcome  the  tomb! 
Since  Jesus  hath  lain  there,  I  dread  not  its  gloom; 
There  sweet  be  my  rest  till  he  bid  me  arise, 
To  hail  him  in  triumph  descending  the  skies." 

In  later  years  Dr.  Muhlenberg  deeply  re- 
gretted having  written  this  hymn.  As  he  was 
wont  to  say:  "Paul's  'For  me  to  live  is  Christ'  is 
far  better  than  Job's  'I  would  not  live  alway.' ' 
He  tried  again  and  again,  by  alteration  and  re- 
writing, to  undo  the  mistake  of  his  youth,  but  in 
vain.  The  original  hymn  had  so  impressed  itself 
upon  the  heart  of  the  church  that  no  substitute 
would  be  accepted.  It  gained  an  immediate  and 
universal  popularity.  No  doubt  the  closing 
stanzas,  with  their  look  beyond  the  tomb,  have 
done  much  to  atone  for  the  lugubrious  spirit  run- 
ning through  the  earlier  part : 

"Who,  who  would  live  alway,  away  from  his  God? 
Away  from  yon  heaven,  that  blissful  abode, 
Where  the  rivers  of  pleasure  flow  o'er  the  bright 

plains, 
And  the  noontide  of  glory  eternally  reigns; 

"Where  the  saints  of  all  ages  in  harmony  meet, 
Their  Saviour  and  brethren  transported  to  greet; 
While  the  anthems  of  rapture  unceasingly  roll, 
And  the  smile  of  the  Lord  is  the  feast  of  the  soul." 

Dr.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler,  whose  taste  in  the 
matter  of  hymns  was  unusually  discriminating, 

172 


HASTINGS,  MUHLEXBERG 

has  told  us  that  of  all  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  contri- 
butions, the  one  on  Xoah's  Dove  was  his  favorite. 
It  is  a  touching  appeal  to  the  wandering  soul  to 
find  rest  where  rest  only  can  be  found,  in  the  Ark 
of  God's  Love.  It  was  written  when  the  author 
was  a  young  man,  and  is  in  the  1826  collection: 

"  Like  Noah's  weary  dove, 

That  soared  the  earth  around, 
But  not  a  resting  place  above 
The  cheerless  waters  found; 

"O  cease,  my  wandering  soul, 
On  restless  wing  to  roam; 
All  the  wide  world,  to  either  pole, 
Has  not  for  thee  a  home. 

"Behold  the  ark  of  God, 

Behold  the  open  door; 
Hasten  to  gain  that  dear  abode, 
And  rove,  my  soul,  no  more. 

"There,  safe  shalt  thou  abide, 

There,  sweet  shall  be  thy  rest, 
And  every  longing  satisfied, 
With  full  salvation  blest. 

"And  when  the  waves  of  ire 
Again  the  earth  shall  fill, 
The  ark  shall  ride  the  sea  of  fire, 
Then  rest  on  Sion's  hill." 

The  hymn  which  follows  is  perhaps  more 
widely  used  at  the  present  time  than  any  other 
by  Dr.  Muhlenberg.  It  is  intended  to  be  sung  at 
a  baptismal  service  for  children,  and  many  regard 

173 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

it  as  the  most  perfect  hymn  for  such  an  occasion 
that  has  ever  been  written.  From  the  very  begin- 
ning of  his  ministry,  Dr.  Muhlenberg  was  in- 
tensely devoted  to  the  lambs  of  the  flock.  The 
baptism  of  a  child  was  to  him  no  ordinary  event. 
It  is  recalled  that  when,  just  after  his  ordination, 
he  was  asked  for  the  first  time  to  perform  this 
service,  he  hesitated.  "His  countenance  suffused, 
his  whole  manner  became  embarrassed,  and  he 
earnestly  requested  Bishop  White,  who  was 
present,  to  administer  the  rite  for  him."  But  the 
bishop  insisted  that  the  young  man  should  do  it, 
and  from  that  time  on  the  service  became  a  de- 
light to  him.  Once,  after  an  absence,  when  he 
revisited  his  former  parish  in  Lancaster,  the  chil- 
dren welcomed  him  so  joyously  that  he  exclaimed, 
"If  the  prayers  of  babes  and  sucklings  are  heard, 
I  may  hope  for  a  blessing." 

"Saviour,  who  thy  flocks  art  feeding 
With  the  shepherd's  kindest  care, 
All  the  feeble  gently  leading, 

While  the  lambs  thy  bosom  share. 

"Now,  these  little  ones  receiving, 

Fold  them  in  thy  gracious  arm; 
There,  we  know,  thy  word  believing, 
Only  there  secure  from  harm. 

"Never,  from  thy  pasture  roving, 

Let  them  be  the  lion's  prey; 
Let  thy  tenderness,  so  loving, 

Keep  them  through  life's  dangerous  way. 
174 


HASTINGS,  MUHLENBERG 

"Then,  within  thy  fold  eternal, 

Let  them  find  a  resting  place, 
Feed  in  pastures  ever  vernal, 
Drink  the  rivers  of  thy  grace." 

Dr.  Muhlenberg  was  intensely  evangelical  in 
his  preaching.  Jesus  Christ,  the  Redeemer  of 
men,  was  the  center  about  whom  all  his  thoughts 
gathered.  He  once  said,  "I  never  preached  a 
sermon  except  with  a  view  to  save  souls."  It  is 
not  surprising  therefore  that  one  of  his  noblest 
hymns  should  be  in  celebration  of  the  coming  of 
the  One  mighty  to  save.  A  century  ago,  the  well- 
known  lyric  by  Thomas  Moore,  "Sound  the  loud 
timbrel  o'er  Egypt's  dark  sea,"  was  very  popular 
on  both  sides  of  the  ocean,  especially  as  sung  to 
music  composed  by  Charles  Avison,  an  English 
church  organist.  Bishop  Hobart  admired  the 
music,  and  while  the  new  Episcopal  hymn  book 
of  1826  was  in  preparation,  he  begged  young 
Muhlenberg  to  write  something  to  go  with  Avi- 
son's  tune.  It  was  done,  and  the  author  adds 
that  the  Bishop  "liked  the  verses  I  made  so  well 
that  he  had  them  struck  off  before  the  hymns 
were  published,  and  sung  in  Trinity  Church  on 
Christmas  Day."  After  these  many  years,  this 
exultant  hymn,  to  the  tune  "Avison,"  is  as  much 
a  favorite  as  ever : 

"Shout  the  glad  tidings,  exultingly  sing, 
Jerusalem  triumphs,  Messiah  is  King. 
175 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"Zion,  the  marvelous  story  be  telling, 

The  Son  of  the  Highest,  how  lowly  his  birth! 
The  brightest  archangel  in  glory  excelling, 
He  stoops  to  redeem  thee,  he  reigns  upon  earth. 

"Tell  how  he  cometh;  from  nation  to  nation, 
The  heart-cheering  news  let  the  earth  echo 

round; 

How  free  to  the  faithful  he  offers  salvation, 
How    his    people    with    joy    everlasting    are 
crowned. 

"Mortals,  your  homage  be  gratefully  bringing, 
And  sweet  let  the  gladsome  hosanna  arise; 
Ye  angels,  the  full  Alleluia  be  singing; 

One  chorus  resound  through  the  earth  and  the 
skies." 


176 


PHCEBK  HIXSDALE  BROWN 


CHAPTER   XI 
MRS.  BROWN,  MRS.  HYDE 

PHCEBE  HINSDALE  BROWN 

1783-1861 

No  one  who  had  chanced  to  meet  her  as  a  girl 
would  ever  have  dreamed  that  Phoebe  Hinsdale 
would  become  the  first  female  American  hymnist 
whose  work  would  live.  Born  in  Canaan,  New 
York,  in  1783,  at  the  age  of  ten  months  bereft  of 
her  father,  and  of  her  mother  a  year  later,  the 
little  waif  found  a  refuge  in  the  home  of  her 
grandparents,  Allen.  Here  she  spent  seven 
happy  years,  when  once  again  death  robbed  her 
of  a  shelter.  This  time  an  older  married  sister 
took  her  in.  The  husband  was  a  rough  man, 
keeper  of  the  county  jail,  and  from  the  start  the 
child  was  badly  treated.  She  was  worse  than  a 
drudge — a  domestic  slave.  Long  afterward,  her 
son  said  that  it  broke  his  heart  to  think  of  the 
"privation  and  cruel  treatment  and  toil"  which 
his  mother  endured  in  those  bitter  years. 

Thus  it  continued  till  she  was  eighteen.  In 
all  this  time  she  never  was  allowed  to  go  to  school. 
She  could  not  even  write  her  own  name.  Finally 
she  managed  to  spend  three  months  in  a  class  with 
some  children — the  only  schooling  she  ever  had. 

177 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

She  now  found  another  home,  where  she  was  most 
kindly  treated,  and  where  she  joined  the  church. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-two  she  was  married  to 
Timothy  H.  Brown,  a  house-painter.  A  few 
years  later  they  moved  to  Ellington,  Connecticut, 
and  soon  she  began  to  use  her  pen,  contributing 
short  stories  and  poems  to  two  or  three  weekly 
papers.  But  her  lot  continued  to  be  a  hard  one. 
Her  husband  was  a  worthy  man,  but  they  were 
very  poor. 

The  summer  of  1818  was  unusually  trying. 
The  family  lived  on  the  edge  of  the  village,  in 
a  small  frame  house,  unfinished  excepting  one 
room  which  was  occupied  by  a  sick  sister.  There 
were  four  young  children,  and  the  home  cares 
were  unceasing.  Mrs.  Brown  was  a  deeply  re- 
ligious woman,  and  she  longed  for  some  quiet 
spot  to  which  she  could  retire  each  day  for  a  few 
minutes  of  devotion. 

A  little  distance  down  the  road  was  a  large 
garden,  with  a  handsome  residence  at  the  up- 
per end.  Here  was  just  the  retreat  she  sought. 
She  tells  us  that  in  the  evening  she  luused  to  steal 
away  from  all  within  doors,  and,  going  out  of 
our  gate,  stroll  along  under  the  elms  that  were 
planted  for  shade  on  each  side  of  the  road.  And, 
as  there  was  seldom  anyone  passing  that  way 


1  Thii  account  from  the  manuscript  autobiography  of  Mrs.  Brown,  first  appeared 
in  The  Friend  of  Honolulu,  and  is  quoted  by  Dr.  Duffield  in  English  Hymns,  p.  244. 

178 


MRS.  BROWN,  MRS.  HYDE 

after  dark,  I  felt  quite  retired  and  alone  with 
God.  I  often  walked  quite  up  that  beautiful 
garden — and  felt  that  I  could  have  the  privilege 
of  those  few  moments  of  uninterrupted  commun- 
ion with  God  without  encroaching  upon  any- 
one." 

But  one  evening  in  August  she  chanced  to  be 
visiting  at  the  home  of  a  friend,  where,  among 
others  who  were  present,  was  the  lady  who  lived 
in  the  fine  house.  Suddenly  turning  to  Mrs. 
Brown,  she  said  with  a  lofty  air:  "Mrs.  Brown, 
why  do  you  come  up  at  evening  so  near  our  house, 
and  then  go  back  without  coming  in?  If  you 
want  anything,  why  don't  you  come  in  and  ask 
for  it?  I  could  not  think  who  it  was,  and  sent 
my  girl  down  the  garden  to  see;  and  she  said  it 
was  you.  That  you  came  to  the  fence,  but,  see- 
ing her,  turned  quickly  away,  muttering  some- 
thing to  yourself."  Mrs.  Brown  adds:  "There 
was  something  in  her  manner  more  than  in  her 
words,  that  grieved  me.  I  went  home,  and  that 
evening  was  left  alone.  After  my  children  were 
all  in  bed,  except  my  baby,  I  sat  down  in  the 
kitchen,  with  my  child  in  my  arms,  when  the  grief 
of  my  heart  burst  forth  in  a  flood  of  tears.  I  took 
pen  and  paper,  and  gave  vent  to  my  oppressed 
heart  in  what  I  called  'My  Apology  for  my  Twi- 
light Rambles,  addressed  to  a  Lady/  '  She  sent 
it  to  the  lady  in  question,  but  what  impression 

179 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

was  made  is  not  known,  as  no  reply  was  ever 
received. 

This  "Apology,"  in  a  shortened  form,  is  the 
"Twilight  Hymn"  which  is  found  in  so  many 
hymnals,  and  is  so  much  loved.  In  the  original 
there  were  nine  stanzas,  as  follows : 

["Yes,  when  the  toilsome  day  is  gone, 

And  night,  with  banners  gray, 
Steals  silently  the  glade  along 
In  twilight's  soft  array,! 

"I  love  to  steal  awhile  away 

From  little  ones  and  care, 
And  spend  the  hours  of  setting  day 
In  gratitude  and  prayer. 

["I  love  to  feast  on  Nature's  scenes 

When  falls  the  evening  dew, 
And  dwell  upon  her  silent  themes, 
Forever  rich  and  new.] 

"I  love  in  solitude  to  shed 

The  penitential  tear, 
And  all  God's  promises  to  plead 
Where  none  can  see  or  hear. 

"I  love  to  think  on  mercies  past, 

And  future  ones  implore, 
And  all  my  cares  and  sorrows  cast 
On  him  whom  I  adore. 

["I  love  to  meditate  on  death! 

When  shall  his  message  come 
With  friendly  smiles  to  steal  my  breath 
And  take  an  exile  home?l 
180 


MRS.  BROWN,  MRS.  HYDE 

"I  love  by  faith  to  take  a  view 

Of  blissful  scenes  in  heaven; 
The  sight  doth  all  my  strength  renew, 
While  here  by  storms  I'm  driven. 

["I  love  this  silent  twilight  hour 

Far  better  than  the  rest; 
It  is,  of  all  the  twenty-four, 
The  happiest  and  the  best.] 

"Thus,  when  life's  toilsome  day  is  o'er, 

May  its  departing  ray 
Be  calm  as  this  impressive  hour 
And  lead  to  endless  day." 

Mrs.  Brown  kept  this  poem  hidden  among  her 
private  papers  for  several  years.  But  when  Dr. 
Nettleton  was  compiling  his  Village  Hymns, 
hearing  that  she  had  written  some  religious  poe- 
try, he  visited  her,  and  she  gave  him  four  hymns, 
among  them  this  one.  The  nine  stanzas  were  re- 
duced to  five  by  omitting  those  bracketed  above. 
A  few  verbal  changes  were  also  made.  The  line 
"From  little  ones  and  care,"  became,  "From 
every  cumbering  care";  and  the  line  "In  grati- 
tude and  prayer,"  was  changed  to  "In  humble, 
grateful  prayer."  But  the  stanzas  now  in  use 
are  practically  as  they  came  from  her  pen.  La- 
ter, she  wrote  a  Morning  Hymn  and  also  a  Mid- 
day Hymn,  but  neither  has  ever  gained  the  popu- 
larity of  her  Twilight  Hymn,  born  under  such 
pathetic  circumstances. 

181 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

In  the  fall  of  1818  the  family  moved  from  El- 
lington across  the  State  line  into  Massachusetts, 
and  settled  in  Monson.  The  church  seemed  spir- 
itually dead  and  Mrs.  Brown's  ardent  soul  was 
greatly  distressed,  "From  the  impulses  of  a  full 
heart,"  so  she  tells  us,  was  written  her  "Prayer 
for  a  Revival,"  beginning  with  the  lines: 

"O  Lord,  thy  work  revive, 
In  Zion's  gloomy  hour, 
And  make  her  dying  graces  live 
By  thy  restoring  power." 

For  many  years  this  hymn  was  widely  sung  in 
America,  and  it  also  gained  favor  in  England. 

This  devoted  Christian  mother,  who  gave  to 
her  "little  ones"  such  untiring  care,  was  not  dis- 
appointed in  her  children.  Two  of  her  daughters 
became  preachers'  wives,  and  the  third  married  a 
prominent  church  deacon.  But  the  son,  the  Rev. 
Samuel  R.  Brown,  D.D.,  came  into  largest  prom- 
inence. He  was  born  in  1810,  and  in  infancy  his 
mother  dedicated  him  to  the  work  of  the  King- 
dom. Foreign  missions  were  just  beginning  to 
stir  the  church  to  new  zeal.  Here  and  there 
young  people  were  offering  themselves  for  serv- 
ice in  distant  fields.  One  day,  when  Samuel  was 
seven  years  old,  the  mother  fell  to  dreaming — 
Would  God  some  time  call  her  son?  Her  heart 
leaped  at  the  thought,  and  doubtless  it  was  in  her 
mind  when  she  wrote  this  missionary  hymn: 


MRS.  BROWN,  MRS.  HYDE 

"Go  messenger  of  love,  and  bear, 

Upon  thy  gentle  wing, 
The  song  which  seraphs  love  to  hear, 
The  angels  joy  to  sing. 

"Go,  to  the  heart  with  sin  opprest, 

And  dry  the  sorrowing  tear; 
Extract  the  thorn  that  wounds  the  breast, 
The  drooping  spirit  cheer. 

"Go,  say  to  Zion,  'Jesus  reigns' — 

By  his  resistless  power, 
He  binds  his  enemies  with  chains; 
They  fall  to  rise  no  more. 

"Tell  how  the  Holy  Spirit  flies, 

As  he  from  heaven  descends — 
Arrests  his  proudest  enemies, 
And  changes  them  to  friends." 

The  mother's  highest  hopes  were  fulfilled, 
when,  in  1838,  her  son  sailed  as  a  pioneer  mis- 
sionary to  China.  In  1859  he  transferred  his 
field  to  Japan,  being  the  first  American  mission- 
ary to  enter  that  newly  opened  empire.  Later 
on,  two  grandsons  of  Mrs.  Brown  took  up  mis- 
sion work  in  that  same  country. 

"As  to  my  history,  it  is  soon  told;  a  sinner 
saved  by  grace  and  sanctified  by  trials."  Thus 
she  wrote  in  old  age.  Both  her  joys  and  her 
trials  had  been  many,  and  one  of  the  sweetest 
hymns  that  she  wrote,  belonging  to  the  later  pe- 
riod of  her  life,  expresses  her  own  ripened  ex- 
perience : 

183 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"When  grief  and  anguish  press  me  down, 

And  hope  and  comfort  flee, 
I  cling,  bless'd  Saviour,  to  thy  throne, 
And  stay  my  heart  on  thee. 

"When  clouds  of  dark  temptation  rise, 

And  pour  their  wrath  on  me, 
To  thee,  for  aid,  I  turn  my  eyes, 
And  fix  my  trust  on  thee. 

"When  death  invades  my  peaceful  home, 

The  sundered  ties  shall  be 

A  closer  bond,  in  time  to  come, 

To  bind  my  heart  to  thee. 

"Lord — 'not  my  will  bu/t  thine  be  done': 

My  soul,  from  fear  set  free, 
Her  faith  shall  anchor  at  thy  throne, 
And  trust  alone  in  thee." 

Mrs.  Brown  died  in  1861,  and  was  buried  at 
Monson,  Massachusetts,  within  a  stone's  throw 
of  the  modest  little  cottage  which  for  so  many 
years  was  her  home.  Beside  her  lie  the  remains 
of  her  distinguished  son. 

ABIGAIL  BRADLEY  HYDE 

1799-1872 

In  1818,  the  same  year  in  which  Mrs.  Brown 
wrote,  "I  love  to  steal  awhile  away,"  a  young 
woman  of  kindred  spirit,  Miss  Abigail  Bradley, 
was  united  in  marriage  to  the  Rev.  Lavius  Hyde. 
A  little  later,  Mr.  Hyde  began  a  pastorate  at 
Ellington,  Connecticut,  the  home  of  Mrs.  Brown 

184< 


MRS.  BROWN,  MRS.  HYDE 

when  she  wrote  her  hymn,  and  it  was  here  that 
the  two  women  met  and  formed  an  acquaintance 
which  continued  for  many  years. 

Although  Mrs.  Hyde  possessed  only  moderate 
talent  as  a  hymnist,  and  composed  very  little 
which  is  in  use  at  the  present  time,  two  genera- 
tions ago  nearly  fifty  of  her  poems  were  being 
sung,  and  were  blessing  multitudes  all  over  the 
land.  We  owe  it  to  Dr.  Nettleton,  as  in  the  case 
of  Mrs.  Brown,  that  she  was  brought  into  notice. 
He  was  so  well  pleased  with  a  missionary  lyric 
which  she  wrote  soon  after  her  marriage  that  he 
induced  her  to  contribute  a  number  of  selections 
to  the  Village  Hymns  he  was  preparing.  They 
are  strongly  evangelistic  in  tone,  but  unlike  many 
hymns  of  that  period  which  portrayed  the  an- 
guish of  hell  in  lurid  colors  and  sought  to  terrify 
sinners  into  repentance,  hers  were  more  moderate 
and  were  marked  by  a  calm  persuasiveness  which 
made  them  doubly  effective.  The  following 
stanzas  gained  very  wide  circulation: 

"And  canst  thou,  sinner,  slight 

The  call  of  love  divine? 
Shall  God  with  tenderness  invite, 
And  gain  no  thought  of  thine? 

"Wilt  thou  not  cease  to  grieve 
The  Spirit  from  thy  breast, 
Till  he  thy  wretched  soul  shall  leave 
With  all  thy  sins  oppressed? 
185 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"To-day  a  pardoning  God 

Will  hear  the  suppliant  pray; 
To-day,  a  Saviour's  cleansing  blood 
Will  wash  thy  guilt  away. 

'But  grace  so  dearly  bought 

If  yet  thou  wilt  despise, 
Thy  fearful  doom,  with  sorrow  fraught, 

Will  fill  thee  with  surprise." 

Mrs.  Hyde  was  especially  fond  of  children, 
and  as  a  pastor's  wife  probably  her  most  effective 
work  was  done  among  them.  She  had  no  sym- 
pathy with  the  view  so  widely  prevalent  in  those 
days  that  it  was  of  little  use  to  bring  children  to 
Christ;  that  they  must  first  be  expected  to  sow 
their  wild  oats  and  then  be  converted.  She 
longed  to  gather  them  within  the  fold,  even 
though  some  of  them  might  afterward  stray 
away.  Her  most  beautiful  hymn,  and  the  one, 
more  than  any  other,  showing  the  real  heart  of 
the  woman,  was  written  in  her  early  twenties, 
and  is  entitled,  "Prayer  for  the  children  of  the 
Church."  It  deserves  to  be  treasured  after  all 
else  from  the  same  pen  has  been  forgotten: 

"Dear  Saviour,  if  these  lambs  should  stray, 

From  thy  secure  enclosure's  bound, 
And,  lured  by  worldly  joys  away, 

Among  the  thoughtless  crowd  be  found. 

"Remember  still  that  they  are  thine, 

That  thy  dear  sacred  name  they  bear, 
Think  that  the  seal  of  love  divine — 
The  sign  of  cov'nant  grace  they  wear. 
186 


MRS.  BROWN,  MRS.  HYDE 

"In  all  their  erring,  sinful  years, 

Oh,  let  them  ne'er  forgotten  be: 
Remember  all  the  prayers  and  tears, 
Which  made  them  consecrate  to  thee. 

"And  when  these  lips  no  more  can  pray, 

These  eyes  can  weep  for  them  no  more, 
Turn  thou  their  feet  from  folly's  way, 
The  wanderers  to  thy  fold  restore." 


187 


CHAPTER  XII 

BRYANT,  HOLMES 

WILLIAM  CULLEN  BRYANT 

1794-1878 

WHEN  the  manuscript  of  "Thanatopsis"  was 
handed  to  Richard  H.  Dana,  senior  editor  of  the 
North  American  Review,  as  an  American  pro- 
duction, he  shook  his  head.  "No  one  on  this  side 
of  the  Atlantic,"  said  he,  "is  capable  of  writing 
such  verses."  Had  he  further  been  told  that  it 
was  the  work  of  a  seventeen-year-old  boy,  he 
would  have  been  struck  dumb  with  amazement. 

William  Cullen  Bryant  was  the  first  writer 
in  the  New  World  who  merited  the  name  of 
"poet."  There  had  been  a  number  of  versi- 
fiers, and  some  of  their  lines  will  live,  but 
America  produced  no  real  poet  till  Bryant  ap- 
peared. He  was  born  in  Cummington,  Massa- 
chusetts, on  November  3,  1794.  His  father,  a 
country  physician,  was  a  man  of  education  and 
culture,  a  lover  of  poetry  and  himself  an  occa- 
sional writer.  His  library,  unusually  large  and 
choice  for  those  days,  was  especially  rich  in  the 
great  English  poets.  It  was  in  an  atmosphere  of 
books  and  of  religion  that  the  boy  grew  up.  To 
the  close  of  his  long  life  he  could  never  forget 

188 


BRYANT,  HOLMES 

those  early  scenes,  the  family  prayers,  morning 
and  evening,  led  by  his  grandfather  Snell ;  church 
service  on  Sunday  morning  and  afternoon,  with 
a  "neighborhood"  meeting  at  home  in  the  even- 
ing, conducted  by  "some  lay  brother";  the  mid- 
winter "awakenings"  or  revivals,  at  the  Congre- 
gational church,  where  the  family  attended;  the 
little  district  school,  visited  from  time  to  time  by 
the  parish  minister,  the  man  of  God,  held  in  ven- 
eration by  old  and  young  alike.  On  these  state 
occasions  the  scholars  were  dressed  in  their  Sun- 
day best  and  were  carefully  examined  in  the 
Westminster  Catechism. 

As  a  child,  William  learned  the  Lord's  Prayer 
and  other  petitions  at  his  mother's  knee,  and  then, 
one  day,  when  all  by  himself,  he  added,  what 
became  a  frequent  and  fervent  request,  that  he 
"might  receive  the  gift  of  poetic  genius,  and  write 
verses  that  might  endure."  He  was  only  eight 
when  his  first  youthful  poem  appeared.  The 
hymns  of  Isaac  Watts,  especially  those  written 
for  children,  he  knew  in  many  cases  by  heart,  and 
when  no  more  than  five  years  old  he  would  mount 
a  chair  and  declaim  them  to  imaginary  audiences 
with  boyish  enthusiasm.  Years  afterward  he  still 
remembered  the  oldtime  singing  school,  and  the 
teacher  who  was  an  "enthusiast  in  his  vocation, 
and  thundered  forth  the  airs  set  down  in  the 
music  books,  with  a  fervor  that  was  contagious." 

189 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

In  1820,  Henry  D.  Sewall  undertook  the  pre- 
paration of  a  hymn  book  for  the  Unitarians,  who 
by  this  time  had  become  somewhat  numerous,  es- 
pecially in  Massachusetts,  and  he  appealed  to  Mr. 
Bryant  for  several  contributions.  The  young 
man,  already  recognized  as  facile  princeps  among 
American  poets,  gladly  accepted  the  invitation, 
and  at  once  wrote  five  hymns  for  the  new  book. 
They  illustrate  his  bent  of  mind — his  love  of  na- 
ture and  his  disposition  to  brood  upon  death. 
The  first  one,  in  praise 

"To  Him  whose  wisdom  deigned  to  plan 
This  fair  and  bright  abode  for  man," 

must  have  been  inspired,  at  least  in  part,  by  mem- 
ories of  the  childhood  home  in  western  Massa- 
chusetts, for  it  goes  on  to  sing  of  the  country 
where 

"Rose  the  hills,  and  broad  and  green 
The  vale's  deep  pathway  sank  between" 

and  where 

"earth's  blossoms  glowed, 
Her  fountains  gushed,  her  rivers  flowed, 
And  from  the  shadowy  wood  was  heard 
The  pleasant  sound  of  breeze  and  bird." 

As  a  mere  child,  Bryant  was  brought  into  close 
contact  with  death.  Across  the  way  from  his 
birthplace  was  a  rural  graveyard ;  the  funeral  of 
one  of  his  schoolmates  made  a  deep  impression 

190 


BRYANT,  HOLMES 

on  him,  as  did  the  passing  of  his  grandparents 
Snell,  under  whose  roof  he  had  grown  up.  Of 
an  unusually  serious  and  sensitive  disposition, 
these  early  circumstances  helped  to  shape  the 
poet's  mind,  and  doubtless  contributed  to  that 
noble  melancholy  so  conspicuous  in  Thanatopsis. 
But  we  find  no  trace  of  gloom  or  despair.  The 
comforting  hymn  entitled,  "Blessed  are  they  that 
mourn" — one  of  the  five  mentioned  above — is  ex- 
tensively used.  At  Mr.  Bryant's  funeral  it  was 
sung  by  the  choir  with  marked  effect : 

"Deem  not  that  they  are  blest  alone 

Whose  days  a  peaceful  tenor  keep; 

The  God  who  loves  our  race  has  shown 

A  blessing  for  the  eyes  that  weep. 

"The  light  of  smiles  shall  fill  again 

The  lids  that  overflow  with  tears; 
And  weary  hours  of  woe  and  pain 
Are  promises  of  happier  years. 

"Oh,  there  are  days  of  sunny  rest 

For  every  dark  and  troubled  night; 

And  Grief  may  bide  an  evening  guest, 

But  Joy  shall  come  with  early  light. 

"And  thou,  who,  o'er  thy  friend's  low  bier, 

Dost  shed  the  bitter  drops  like  rain, 
Hope  that  a  brighter,  happier  sphere, 
Will  give  him  to  thy  arms  again. 

"Nor  let  the  good  man's  trust  depart, 
Though  life  its  common  gifts  deny; 
Though  with  a  pierced  and  bleeding  heart, 
And  spurned  of  men,  he  goes  to  die. 
191 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"For  God  hath  marked  each  sorrowing  day, 

And  numbered  every  secret  tear; 
And  heaven's  long  age  of  bliss  shall  pay 
For  all  his  children  suffer  here." 

In  a  letter  to  a  member  of  the  committee  which 
prepared  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Hymnal  of 
1878,  Mr.  Bryant  changed  the  third  line  of  the 
opening  stanza  to, 

"The  anointed  Son  of  God  makes  known." 

This  was  his  final  revision. 

He  had  an  unfaltering  faith  in  a  future  life. 
Not  long  before  his  death  he  wrote  to  an  inquirer : 
"I  believe  in  the  everlasting  life  of  the  soul;  and 
it  seems  to  me  that  immortality  would  be  but  an 
imperfect  gift  without  the  recognition  in  the  life 
to  come  of  those  who  are  dear  to  us  here." 

The  hymn  beginning  with  the  lines: 

"Thou,  whose  unmeasured  temple  stands, 

Built  over  earth  and  sea, 
Accept  the  walls  that  human  hands 
Have  raised,  O  God,  to  thee!" 

is  one  of  the  best  known  of  Bryant's  hymns,  and 
is  a  favorite  both  in  England  and  America.  It 
was  written  in  1826,  for  the  dedication  of  the 
Second  Unitarian  Church,  in  Prince  Street,  New 
York. 

More  than  one  student  of  Bryant's  hymns 
gives  the  first  place  to  the  contribution  he  made 

192 


BRYANT,  HOLMES 

in  1840  to  be  sung  at  a  Home  Missionary  Anni- 
versary. It  was  at  a  time  when  the  subject  of 
Home  Missions,  in  the  broader  sense  in  which 
we  are  familiar  with  it  to-day,  was  gripping  the 
heart  of  the  church.  The  population  of  the  coun- 
try was  rapidly  increasing.  The  "peopled  vale" 
and  "crowded  mart"  were  creating  new  and  seri- 
ous problems.  Home  Missionary  Societies  were 
springing  up  on  every  hand  and  calling  for  suit- 
able hymns.  This  hymn  of  Bryant's,  so  far  su- 
perior to  most  in  common  use,  was  received  with 
enthusiasm,  and  it  has  held  a  merited  place  ever 
since : 

"Look  from  the  sphere  of  endless  day, 

O  God  of  mercy  and  of  might! 
In  pity  look  on  those  who  stray, 
Benighted,  in  this  land  of  light. 

"In  peopled  vale,  in  lonely  glen, 

In  crowded  mart,  by  stream  or  sea, 
How  many  of  the  sons  of  men 

Hear  not  the  message  sent  from  thee! 

"Send  forth  thy  heralds,  Lord,  to  call 

The  thoughtless  young,  the  hardened  old, 
A  scattered,  homeless  flock,  till  all 
Be  gathered  to  thy  peaceful  fold. 

"Send  them  thy  mighty  word  to  speak, 

Till  faith  shall  dawn,  and  doubt  depart, 
To  awe  the  bold,  to  stay  the  weak, 
And  bind  and  heal  the  broken  heart. 
193 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"Then  all  these  wastes,  a  dreary  scene, 

That  make  us  sadden  as  we  gaze, 
Shall  grow  with  living  waters  green, 
And  lift  to  heaven  the  voice  of  praise." 

By  nature  Mr.  Bryant  was  profoundly  reli- 
gious. He  was  not  only  given  to  private  devo- 
tion, but  he  was  an  earnest  believer  in  family 
prayer.  His  sensitive  soul  shrank  from  the  stern 
New  England  theology  in  which  he  was  reared, 
and  after  moving  to  New  York  he  became  a  pew- 
holder  in  the  First  Congregational  (now  the  All 
Souls)  Unitarian  Church.  But  when  at  his  sum- 
mer home  at  Roslyn,  Long  Island,  he  habitually 
attended  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  joined  in 
the  communion  service. 

In  1858  he  had  a  rare  experience.  While  trav- 
eling abroad,  Mrs.  Bryant  was  taken  danger- 
ously ill  in  Naples,  and  for  days  she  hovered 
between  life  and  death.  The  Rev.  R.  C.  Waters- 
ton,  a  friend  of  the  family,  chanced  to  be  in  the 
city  at  the  same  time.  Mr.  Waterston  relates 
that  one  day,  after  the  crisis  had  passed,  he  re- 
ceived a  note  from  Mr.  Bryant  "stating  that 
there  was  a  subject  of  interest  upon  which  he 
would  like  to  converse  with  me.  On  the  follow- 
ing day,  the  weather  being  delightful,  we  walked 
in  the  royal  park  or  garden  overlooking  the  Bay 
of  Naples.  Never  can  I  forget  the  beautiful 
spirit  that  breathed  through  every  word  he  ut- 

194 


BRYANT,  HOLMES 

tered,  the  reverent  love,  the  confiding  trust,  the 
aspiring  hope,  the  rooted  faith.  .  .  .  He  said  that  he 
had  never  united  himself  with  the  church,  which, 
with  his  present  feeling,  he  would  most  gladly 
do.  He  then  asked  if  it  would  be  agreeable  to.me 
to  come  to  his  room  on  the  morrow  and  admin- 
ister the  communion,  adding  that,  as  he  had  never 
been  baptized,  he  desired  that  ordinance  at  the 
same  time.  The  day  following  was  the  Sabbath, 
and  a  most  heavenly  day.  In  fulfillment  of  his 
wishes,  in  his  own  quiet  room,  a  company  of  seven 
persons  celebrated  together  the  Lord's  Supper. 
.  .  .  Previous  to  the  breaking  of  bread,  Wil- 
liam Cullen  Bryant  was  baptized.  With  snow- 
white  head  and  flowing  beard,  he  stood  like  one  of 
the  ancient  prophets,  and  perhaps  never,  since 
the  days  of  the  apostles,  has  a  truer  disciple  pro- 
fessed allegiance  to  the  divine  Master." 

His  sincere  reverence  for  the  Redeemer  of  men 
is  particularly  conspicuous  in  his  hymns.  On 
his  wife's  tombstone  he  placed  the  words:  "An 
Humble  Disciple  of  Christ" — and  they  were 
equally  true  of  himself.  In  March,  1875,  the 
Church  of  the  Messiah,  in  Boston,  celebrated  its 
semicentennial.  Bryant  had  known  it  from  the 
beginning,  and  at  one  time  had  been  an  attend- 
ant there.  By  urgent  request  he  contributed  a 
hymn  for  the  occasion — one  of  the  sweetest  he 
ever  wrote.  As  he  said  in  a  letter  to  a  friend, 

195 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"I  have  written  a  little  hymn — contrary  to  my 
wont."  The  opening  stanza  seems  especially 
appropriate  from  the  pen  of  an  octogenarian. 

THE  STAR  OF  BETHLEHEM 

"As  shadows  cast  by  cloud  and  sun 

Flit  o'er  the  summer  grass, 
So,  in  thy  sight,  Almighty  One! 
Earth's  generations  pass. 

"And  while  the  years,  an  endless  host, 

Come  pressing  swiftly  on, 
The  brightest  names  that  earth  can  boast 
Just  glisten,  and  are  gone. 

"Yet  doth  the  Star  of  Bethlehem  shed 

A  lustre  pure  and  sweet; 
And  still  it  leads,  as  once  it  led, 
To  the  Messiah's  feet. 

"O  Father,  may  that  holy  Star 

Grow  every  year  more  bright, 
And  send  its  glorious  beam  afar 
To  fill  the  world  with  light." 

This  hymn  was  one  of  the  contributions  the 
poet  made  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Hymnal 
of  1878. 

Bryant  was  not  a  prolific  hymn  writer,  his 
total  productions  of  this  kind  numbering  less 
than  thirty.  Most  of  them  have  that  stately 
thoughtfulness  which  characterizes  his  poetry  as 
a  whole.  While  he  wrote  nothing  which  has  at- 
tained the  first  rank  in  world  hymnody,  a  num- 

196 


BRYANT,  HOLMES 

her  of  his  hymns  have  gained  wide  circulation 
both  in  this  country  and  in  England,  and  he 
ranks  high  among  American  hymnists. 

OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES, 

1809-1894 

It  was  a  wonderful  year,  the  year  1809,  for 
the  number  of  great  lives  that  it  gave  to  the 
world.  In  that  twelve-month  were  born  Eliza- 
zeth  Barrett  Browning,  Alfred  Tennyson, 
Charles  Darwin,  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  Wil- 
liam Ewart  Gladstone,  and  Abraham  Lincoln — a 
goodly  fellowship  indeed !  Holmes  came  of  choice 
New  England  ancestry,  a  fact  which  never  ceased 
to  give  him  keen  satisfaction,  for  he  was  a  bit  of 
an  aristocrat.  His  father,  the  Rev.  Abiel  Holmes, 
was  pastor  of  the  First  Congregational  Church 
of  Cambridge,  and  belonged  to  the  old  school  of 
thinkers.  But  in  spite  of  his  theology  he  must 
have  had  a  cheerful  heart,  for  in  later  years  they 
spoke  of  him  as  "that  most  delightful  of  sunny 
old  men." 

Born  under  the  shadow  of  Harvard,  it  was  nat- 
ural that  Oliver  should  go  there  to  college.  He 
graduated  in  the  class  of  1829,  which,  as  class 
poet,  he  did  so  much  to  make  famous.  He  en- 
tered the  profession  of  medicine,  and  here  one  of 
the  leading  characteristics  of  the  man  came  to 
the  fore.  He  had  an  exquisitely  sensitive  soul. 

197 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"He  was  too  sympathetic  to  practice  medicine." 
He  became  professor  of  anatomy  and  physiology. 
He  knew  that  vivisection  was  necessary,  but  in  his 
heart  he  hated  it.  His  assistant  wrote  of  him: 
"When  it  became  necessary  to  have  a  freshly 
killed  rabbit  for  his  lecture,  he  always  ran  out  of 
the  room,  left  me  to  chloroform  it,  and  besought 
me  not  to  let  it  squeak."  And  wrote  another: 
"Into  all  his  professional  studies  he  carries  the 
same  kindly,  tender  heart.  Thirty  years  after- 
ward there  is  still  a  sob  in  his  throat  when  he 
speaks  of  the  little  child  in  the  hospital  cot,  whose 
fresh  voice  yet  rang  in  his  ears."  In  old  age  he 
said  one  day  to  a  friend,  "Outside  I  laugh ;  inside 
I  never  laugh.  It  is  impossible ;  the  world  is  too 
sad." 

It  is  easy  to  understand  how  such  a  soul,  so 
sensitive  and  sympathetic,  would  be  affected  by 
the  theological  atmosphere  in  which  he  was 
reared.  He  could  never  forget  the  teachings  of 
his  childhood;  the  old  doctrines,  that  he  and  his 
companions,  unregenerate  imps,  in  the  sight  of 
God  were  "vipers^  and  worse  than  vipers";  the 
lessons  from  the  catechism  which  he  and  his 
brothers  and  sisters  used  to  recite,  when  they 
learned  that  they  "were  a  set  of  little  fallen 
wretches,  exposed  to  the  wrath  of  God  by  the 
fact  of  that  existence  which  they  could  not  help." 
Those  were  the  days  when  in  orthodox  circles 

198 


BRYANT,  HOLMES 

people  talked  gliby  of  hell  and  damnation,  when 
it  was  felt  that  it  enhanced  the  glory  of  God  that 
the  many  were  lost  and  the  few  saved,  and  that 
the  surest  way  to  exalt  Deity  was  to  degrade 
man.  Holmes  long  remembered  how  "now  and 
then  would  come  along  a  clerical  visitor  with  a 
sad  face  and  a  wailing  voice,  which  sounded  ex- 
actly as  if  somebody  must  be  lying  dead  up- 
stairs." 

As  a  child  he  questioned  and  wondered  and 
doubted,  and  as  he  grew  older  and  came  to  un- 
derstand the  current  teaching,  his  whole  soul  re- 
volted against  it.  He  felt  that  the  old  theology 
did  a  vast  injustice  to  both  God  and  man.  He  of- 
fended many  by  his  outspoken  protests,  but  no 
one  who  knew  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  could 
for  a  moment  doubt  his  unswerving  loyalty  to 
what  he  believed  to  be  the  truth.  He  was  pro- 
foundly religious.  No  irreverent  word  ever  es- 
caped his  tongue  or  pen. 

All  his  life  he  was  a  regular  attendant  at 
church,  usually  at  King's  Chapel,  where  he  was  a 
member  for  more  than  half  a  century.  One  of 
his  most  admired  friends,  whom  he  delighted  to 
hear,  was  Phillips  Brooks.  He  never  stated  his 
creed;  it  is  doubtful  if  he  ever  formulated  one. 
The  Fatherhood  of  God  was  to  him  the  supreme 
truth.  He  also  had  an  abiding  faith  in  man, 
both  for  the  present  and  for  the  future.  Talk- 

199 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

ing  one  day  with  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps, 
he  spoke  of  Farrar's  "Eternal  Hope."  "I  can- 
not get  beyond  it,"  he  said  reverently.  And,  with 
breaking  voice,  he  added,  "  'Eternal  Hope' — I 
cannot  talk  about  the  title  of  that  book.  It  moves 
me  too  much.  It  goes  too  deep." 

Holmes  was  ambitious  to  be  a  poet.  He  would 
rather  have  been  a  great  poet  than  anything  else. 
He  was  barely  twenty-one  when  "Old  Ironsides" 
was  printed  and  carried  his  name  all  over  the 
land.  This  was  followed  by  a  multitude  of 
poems,  but  among  them  were  very  few  hymns. 
What  he  might  have  done  along  this  line,  had  he 
devoted  himself  to  it,  can  be  judged  from  the  high 
character  of  the  verses  he  has  given  us.  As  old 
age  crept  on  it  was  gratifying  to  him  to  remem- 
ber that  his  pen  had  not  been  entirely  idle ;  as  he 
expressed  himself  to  a  friend,  "It  would  be  one 
of  the  most  agreeable  reflections  to  me,  if  I  could 
feel  that  I  had  left  a  few  [hymns]  worthy  to  be 
remembered  after  me."  He  was  fond  of  hymns 
and  he  had  very  definite  tastes  in  the  matter.  He 
was  singularly  drawn — and  the  fact  throws  a 
flood  of  light  on  the  deeper  religious  nature  of 
the  man — to  the  hymns  of  some  of  the  older 
writers.  He  spoke  to  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe  of  his  love  for  "dear  old  Dr.  Watts  with 
his  tender  songs  that  lulled  me  when  I  was  a 
baby,  and  will  mingle,  I  doubt  not,  with  my  last 

200 


BRYANT,  HOLMES 

wandering  thoughts."  And  one  day  he  said  to 
Mrs.  Annie  Fields:  "There  are  very  few  modern 
hymns  that  have  the  old  ring  of  saintliness  in 
them.  Sometimes  when  I  am  disinclined  to  lis- 
ten to  the  preacher  at  church,  I  turn  to  the  hymn- 
book,  and  when  one  strikes  my  eye,  I  cover  the 
name  at  the  bottom,  and  guess.  It  is  almost  in- 
variably Watts  or  Wesley ;  after  those,  there  are 
very  few  which  are  good  for  much." 

Temperamentally  Dr.  Holmes  was  not  es- 
pecially interested  in  public  affairs,  but  when  the 
Civil  War  broke  out  he  was  mightily  stirred.  He 
wrote  the  "Puritan  War  Song"  to  be  sung  by 
the  troops  on  the  march  south,  beginning  with 
the  lines: 

"Where  are  you  going,  soldiers, 

With  banner,  gun,  and  sword? 
'We're  marching  South  to  Canaan 

To  battle  for  the  Lord!' 
What  Captain  leads  your  armies 

Along  the  rebel  coasts? 
'The  Mighty  One  of  Israel, 
His  name  is  Lord  of  Hosts. 
To  Canaan,  to  Canaan 

The  Lord  has  led  us  forth 
To  blow  before  the  heathen  walls 
The  trumpet  of  the  North!' ' 

His  own  son,  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  Jr., 
now  Associate  Justice  of  the  United  States  Su- 
preme Court,  was  among  those  who  responded  to 

201 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

the  nation's  call,  and  later  on,  when  the  young 
man  was  wounded  in  battle,  the  anxious-hearted 
father  hurried  south  to  give  him  his  personal  care. 
Early  in  the  war,  as  parents  were  watching  their 
soldier-boys  starting  for  the  front,  this  poet- 
father  wrote  his  "Army  Hymn,"  still  often  used 
on  patriotic  occasions.  It  opens  with  these 
stanzas : 

"O  Lord  of  Hosts!  Almighty  King! 
Behold  the  sacrifice  we  bring! 
To  every  arm  thy  strength  impart, 
Thy  spirit  shed  through  every  heart! 

"Wake  in  our  breasts  the  living  fires, 
The  holy  faith  that  warmed  our  sires; 
Thy  hand  hath  made  our  nation  free; 
To  die  for  her  is  serving  thee." 

As  the  war  progressed  and  the  carnage  in- 
creased, and  day  after  day  the  dread  tidings  came 
that  this  one  had  been  wounded  and  that  one  had 
been  killed,  and  homes  all  about  him  were 
shrouded  in  anxiety  and  in  mourning,  the  poet 
wrote  again: 

"Father  of  Mercies,  heavenly  Friend, 

We  seek  thy  gracious  throne; 
To  thee  our  faltering  prayers  ascend, 
Our  fainting  hearts  are  known! 

"From  blasts  that  chill,  from  suns  that  smite, 

From  every  plague  that  harms; 
In  camp  and  march,  in  siege  and  fight, 
Protect  our  men-at-arms! 
202 


BRYANT,  HOLMES 

'Though  from  our  darkened  lives  they  take 
What  makes  our  life  most  dear, 

We  yield  them  for  their  country's  sake 
With  no  relenting  tear. 

"Our  blood  their  flowing  veins  will  shed, 
Their  wounds  our  breasts  will  share; 
O,  save  us  from  the  woes  we  dread, 
Or  grant  us  strength  to  bear!" 

In  more  than  one  respect  the  Class  of  1829  was 
the  most  famous  that  Harvard  University  ever 
sent  out.  It  included  a  number  of  men  who  af- 
terward became  noted,  such  as  Congressman 
George  T.  Davis,  George  T.  Bigelow,  Chief 
Justice  of  Massachusetts,  B.  R.  Curtis  of  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court,  Rev.  James  Free- 
man Clarke,  S.  F.  Smith,  author  of  "America," 
and,  perhaps  the  most  distinguished  of  all,  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes.  The  annual  class  gatherings 
were  events  of  no  small  importance,  and  as  time 
went  on  they  began  to  attract  attention  even 
beyond  Harvard  circles.  Through  a  long  series 
of  years  Holmes  furnished  the  class  poem,  occa- 
sionally two,  and  some  of  his  best  verse  was  writ- 
ten for  these  reunions.  As  a  rule  he  read  his 
odes,  but  once  in  a  while  he  sang  them.  In  1869 
he  wrote  two  poems,  the  second  entitled  "Hymn 
for  the  Class  Meeting."  This  one,  marked  by  a 
tender,  pathetic  beauty,  gained  considerable 
popularity.  It  found  its  way  into  various  hymn 
books  and  is  in  common  use  to-day: 

203 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"Thou  Gracious  Power,  whose  mercy  lends 
The  light  of  home,  the  smile  of  friends, 
Our  gathered  flock  thine  arms  infold 
As  in  the  peaceful  days  of  old. 

"For  all  the  blessings  life  has  brought, 
For  all  its  sorrowing  hours  have  taught, 
For  all  we  mourn,  for  all  we  keep, 
The  hands  we  clasp,  the  loved  that  sleep; 

"The  noontide  sunshine  of  the  past, 
These  brief,  bright  moments  fading  fast, 
The  stars  that  gild  our  darkening  years, 
The  twilight  ray  from  holier  spheres; 

We  thank  thee,  Father!  let  thy  grace 
Our  narrowing  circle  still  embrace, 
Thy  mercy  shed  its  heavenly  store, 
Thy  peace  be  with  us  evermore!" 

In  a  letter  to  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  Holmes 
once  said,  "My  creed  .  .  .  is  to  be  found  in  the 
first  two  words  of  the  Pater  Noster" — Our 
Father!  He  was  constantly  stressing  it;  it  was 
uppermost  in  all  of  his  talks  and  letters  where 
the  subject  of  religion  entered  in.  The  old  the- 
ology had  thrust  God  into  the  far  distance,  ut- 
terly out  of  sympathy  with  man.  Holmes'  belief 
in  the  divine  fatherhood  brought  God  very  near, 
into  close  and  tender  touch  with  his  needy  chil- 
dren. A  fundamental  article  in  the  poet's  un- 
written creed  was  that  "God  is  Love!"  He  be- 
lieved it,  he  preached  it,  with  all  the  fervor  of  his 

£04 


BRYANT,  HOLMES 

soul.    He  never  wrote  more  intensely  than  in  the 
lines : 

"That  one  unquestioned  text  we  read, 

All  doubt  beyond,  all  fear  above, 
Nor  crackling  pile  nor  cursing  creed 
Can  burn  or  blot  it    God  is  LOVE!" 

The  readers  of  Elsie  Venner  will  remember 
how,  in  referring  to  a  future  life,  Holmes  puts 
on  the  lips  of  Helen  the  words:  "It  is  all  trust 
in  God  and  in  his  Word.  These  are  enough  for 
me."  In  relation  to  his  own  experience,  the  poet 
often  spoke  of  "trusting."  These  characteris- 
tics of  his  religious  faith  are  seen  in  his  "Hymn 
of  Trust,"  among  the  poems  in  The  Professor 
at  the  Breakfast  Table.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
highly  prized  hymns  that  Holmes  ever  wrote, 
and  is  in  use  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic: 

"O  Love  Divine,  that  stooped  to  share 

Our  sharpest  pang,  our  bitterest  tear, 
On  thee  we  cast  each  earthborn  care; 
We  smile  at  pain  while  thou  art  near. 

"Though  long  the  weary  way  we  tread, 

And  sorrow  crown  each  lingering  year, 
No  path  we  shun,  no  darkness  dread, 

Our  hearts  still  whispering,  thou  art  near. 

"When  drooping  pleasure  turns  to  grief 

And  trembling  faith  is  changed  to  fear, 
The  murmuring  wind,  the  quivering  leaf, 
Shall  softly  tell  us,  thou  art  near. 
205 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"On  thee  we  fling  our  burdening  woe, 

O  Love  Divine,  forever  dear; 
Content  to  suffer  while  we  know, 
Living  and  dying,  thou  art  near." 

The  chapters  of  The  Professor  at  the  Break- 
fast Table  were  first  published  in  successive 
numbers  of  the  Atlantic  Monthly,  during  the 
year  1859.  The  December  chapter  closed  with 
these  words:  "And  so  my  year's  record  is  fin- 
ished. .  .  .  Peace  to  all  such  as  may  have  been 
vexed  in  spirit  by  any  utterance  the  pages  have 
repeated.  They  will  doubtless  forget  for  the  mo- 
ment the  difference  in  the  hues  of  truth  we  look 
at  through  our  human  prism,  and  join  in  singing 
(inwardly)  this  hymn  to  the  Source  of  light  we 
all  need  to  lead  us  and  the  warmth  which  can 
make  us  all  brothers."  Then  followed  "A  Sun- 
day Hymn" : 

"Lord  of  all  being,  throned  afar, 
Thy  glory  flames  from  sun  and  star; 
Center  and  soul  of  every  sphere, 
Yet  to  each  loving  heart  how  near! 

"Sun  of  our  life,  thy  quickening  ray 
Sheds  on  our  path  the  glow  of  day; 
Star  of  our  hope,  thy  softened  light 
Cheers  the  long  watches  of  the  night. 

"Our  midnight  is  thy  smile  withdrawn; 
Our  noontide  is  thy  gracious  dawn; 
Our  rainbow  arch,  thy  mercy's  sign; 
All,  save  the  clouds  of  sin,  are  thine. 
206 


BRYANT,  HOLMES 

"Lord  of  all  life,  below,  above, 
Whose  light  is  truth,  whose  warmth  is  love, 
Before  thy  ever-blazing  throne 
We  ask  no  luster  of  our  own. 

"Grant  us  thy  truth  to  make  us  free, 
And  kindling  hearts  that  burn  for  thee, 
Till  all  thy  living  altars  claim 
One  holy  light,  one  heavenly  flame." 

This  noble  lyric  is  greatly  admired  in  both 
England  and  America  and  is  more  widely  used 
than  any  other  hymn  that  Holmes  wrote.  A  few 
years  ago  when  the  Survey  of  New  York  was 
preparing  to  issue  a  hymnbook  of  one  hundred 
selections,  a  jury  of  twelve  men,  of  all  faiths  and 
social  beliefs,  Jew,  Ethical  Culture,  Socialist, 
etc.,  was  asked  to  choose  the  hymns.  As  might 
have  been  expected  there  was  wide  disagreement. 
But  of  all  the  hymns  submitted,  four  succeeded 
in  obtaining  eight  votes  each,  and  one  of  the  four 
was  this  "Sunday  Hymn."  And  indeed,  the  very 
qualities  which  make  this  hymn  so  generally  ac- 
ceptable have  brought  upon  it  severe  criticism, 
because,  forsooth,  "it  could  be  sung  as  well  by 
Parsees  or  Buddhists"  as  by  Christians!  But  if 
in  the  whole  range  of  church  hymnody,  here  and 
there  a  hymn  be  found  breathing  the  spirit  of 
humble  and  loving  worship,  and  of  devoted  trust 
in  the  "Lord  of  all  being" — and  so  framed  that 
it  appeals  to  those  of  every  creed  who  look  up 

207 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

with  aspiring  hearts  to  the  "Lord  of  all  life,"  is 
it  not  rather  a  matter  of  joy  and  gratitude  than 
of  alarm  and  censure? 

The  last  time  that  Dr.  Holmes  appeared  in 
public  was  at  a  celebration  of  the  Boston  Young 
Men's  Christian  Union.  He  brought  a  message 
in  verse,  closing  with  this  petition  which  seems  to 
open  a  window  into  the  very  heart  of  the  old  man 
of  eighty-four : 

"Our  prayers  accept;  our  sins  forgive; 

Our  youthful  zeal  renew; 
Shape  for  us  holier  lives  to  live 
And  nobler  work  to  do." 


208 


CHAPTER  XIII 

BACON,  DUFFIELD,   BETHUNE 
LEONARD  BACON 

1802-1881 

THE  closing  years  of  the  eighteenth  century 
and  the  opening  years  of  the  nineteenth,  wit- 
nessed a  most  remarkable  awakening  of  mission- 
ary zeal  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  In  1795 
the  London  Missionary  Society  was  launched, 
followed  in  less  than  four  years  by  the  great 
Church  Missionary  Society.  Already,  in  1793, 
William  Carey  had  sailed  for  India,  the  first 
foreign  representative  of  the  Baptist  Churches 
of  England,  and  about  the  same  time  Dr.  Coke 
was  organizing  the  work  of  the  British  Wes- 
leyans. 

Naturally  the  mother  country  with  its  older 
and  stronger  churches  led  the  way,  but  America 
was  not  far  behind.  The  famous  "Haystack 
Meeting,"  which  was  followed  by  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  American  Board,  was  held  in  1806. 
The  Baptists  started  their  society  in  1814,  the 
Methodists  in  1819,  and  the  Episcopalians  one 
year  later.  Within  a  single  generation  prac- 
tically all  of  the  larger  denominations  had  en- 

209 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

tered  upon  a  movement  for  world  evangel- 
ization. Throughout  the  country  a  growing 
enthusiasm  was  felt  for  carrying  the  gospel  to 
heathen  nations  as  well  as  to  the  unchristianized 
Indian  tribes  of  our  own  land.  Missionary  ser- 
mons were  preached,  appeals  for  money  were 
sent  broadcast,  all  manner  of  gatherings  were 
held,  with  the  occasional  thrilling  farewells  for 
departing  workers. 

Nowhere  did  the  spirit  of  the  times  show  itself 
more  clearly  than  in  the  large  number  of  mis- 
sionary hymns  which  began  to  appear,  and  which 
were  sung  with  great  fervor.  For  example,  in 
Nettleton's  Village  Hymns  which  were  pub- 
lished in  1824,  there  was  an  entire  section  of  fifty- 
one  hymns  on  missions,  a  remarkable  collection 
for  that  or  for  any  day.  While  a  number  of 
these  came  from  abroad,  some  very  creditable 
ones  were  of  American  origin. 

Detroit  was  an  uncouth  village  of  scarcely  two 
thousand  inhabitants,  when,  on  a  Saturday  af- 
ternoon in  May,  1801,  a  weary  preacher  of  the 
gospel  trudged  into  town.  He  had  with  him  a 
horse  on  which  his  seventeen-year-old  bride  rode. 
They  had  been  traveling  since  February,  having 
been  sent  out  by  the  Congregational  Missionary 
Society  of  Connecticut  to  evangelize  the  Indians 
of  Michigan.  The  following  winter  they  wel- 
comed their  first-born,  a  little  son,  whom  they 

310 


BACON,  DUFFIELD,  BETHUNE 

named  "Leonard."  The  boy  inherited  the  mis- 
sionary zeal  of  his  parents,  and  he  would  gladly 
have  devoted  his  own  life  to  work  among  the 
northwest  tribes  had  not  the  Divine  leading  been 
otherwise.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  was  back  in 
New  England.  His  father  had  died  and  he  was 
the  mainstay  of  his  mother  and  six  younger 
brothers  and  sisters.  And  yet,  in  spite  of  his 
burdens,  he  went  through  Yale,  graduating  with 
high  honor,  and  when  a  youth  of  only  twenty- 
three  he  became  pastor  of  the  famous  Centre 
Church,  New  Haven. 

Here  Mr.  Bacon  had  a  remarkable  career,  last- 
ing more  than  forty  years.  In  his  opening  ser- 
mon he  said:  "All  my  preaching  must  be  de- 
signed to  bring  you  to  Christ.  It  must  begin 
and  end  with  Christ,  Christ,  none  but  Christ." 
This  was  the  keynote  of  his  entire  ministry.  He 
longed  above  all  else  to  see  Christ  supreme  in 
the  life  of  the  world,  and  he  believed  that  it  would 
come  to  pass.  After  his  death,  his  son  wrote  of 
him:  "I  have  found  in  a  drawer  of  his  table 
some  of  his  old  college  declamations,  and  am 
touched  with  the  fervid  warmth  of  the  boy's  hope 
and  expectation  that  the  conversion  of  the  whole 
world  to  the  faith  of  Christ  was  about  to  be 
achieved."  His  soul  was  possessed  with  this 
thought  when  a  youth,  and  it  never  left  him. 

In  1823  he  prepared  the  first  collection  of 
211 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

hymns  for  missionary  meetings  ever  printed  in 
America.  It  is  here  that  we  find  his  hymn  on 
"The  Missionary's  Death": 

"Weep  not  for  the  saint  that  ascends 
To  partake  of  the  joys  of  the  sky; 
Weep  not  for  the  seraph  that  bends 
With  the  worshiping  chorus  on  high. 

"[But  weep]  for  the  nations  that  dwell 

Where  the  light  of  the  truth  never  shone, 
Where  anthems  of  praise  never  swell, 
And  the  love  of  the  Lamb  is  unknown." 

Soon  after  becoming  pastor  of  Centre  Church 
he  instituted  a  decided  innovation  and  one  that 
had  a  far-reaching  influence  for  good.  Once  a 
month,  on  Sunday  evening,  a  missionary  meeting 
was  held,  in  which  several  of  the  larger  churches 
of  the  city  united.  These  meetings  were  known 
as  "Monthly  Concerts,"  and  they  gave  Dr.  Bacon 
just  the  opportunity  that  he  coveted.  In  the 
words  of  his  son,  "he  was  accustomed  to  unroll, 
from  month  to  month  and  from  year  to  year,  the 
panorama  of  the  whole  world's  current  history, 
in  its  bearing  on  the  one  controlling  thought  of 
his  life — the  advancing  reign  of  Jesus  Christ  over 
the  human  race."  What  occasions  they  were! 
The  crowded  assemblies,  Yale  men  present  in 
large  numbers,  the  fervid  singing  of  missionary 
hymns,  most  of  them  recently  composed,  and  sev- 
eral of  them  by  the  pastor  of  the  church  him- 


BACON,  DUFFIELD,  BETHUNE 

self;  the  passionate  message  of  the  young 
preacher,  who  from  afar  had  beheld  the  coming 
of  the  Lord  I  One  of  the  hymns  sung  at  these 
services  was  the  following,  written  by  Dr.  Bacon 
during  his  years  at  Centre  Church: 

"Though  now  the  nations  sit  beneath 
The  darkness  of  o'erspreading  death, 
God  will  arise,  with  light  divine 
On  Zion's  holy  towers  to  shine. 

"That  light  shall  shine  on  distant  lands, 
And  wandering  tribes,  in  joyful  bands, 
Shall  come  thy  glory,  Lord,  to  see, 
And  in  thy  courts  to  worship  thee. 

"O  light  of  Zion,  now  arise! 
Let  the  glad  morning  bless  our  eyes! 
Ye  nations,  catch  the  kindling  ray, 
And  hail  the  splendor  of  the  day." 

We  are  accustomed  to  such  meetings  in  these 
days,  but  remember  that  the  "Monthly  Con- 
certs" began  nearly  one  hundred  years  ago,  when 
the  whole  subject  of  foreign  missions  was  more  or 
less  of  a  novelty.  What  the  full  effect  may  have 
been  through  the  years,  especially  on  the  student 
body,  no  one  can  estimate.  Yale  has  sent  hun- 
dreds of  men  into  the  foreign  field ;  how  many  of 
them  received  their  initial  impulse  at  Centre 
Church?  As  pastor,  and  later  as  lecturer,  Dr. 
Bacon  was  in  close  touch  with  the  College  for 
fifty-six  years,  till  his  death  in  1881.  The  Student 

213 


Volunteer  Movement  was  launched  in  1886. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  "Monthly  Con- 
certs" and  the  lifelong  enthusiasm  of  this  mis- 
sionary zealot  did  very  much  to  create  and  stimu- 
late the  spirit  of  missionary  endeavor  which  has 
been  sweeping  through  our  American  colleges  in 
recent  years. 

In  1833  the  Bicentenary  of  New  Haven  was 
celebrated,  and  Leonard  Bacon  wrote  a  hymn  for 
the  occasion,  of  which  four  stanzas  are  often  sung 
at  the  present  time.  They  admirably  illustrate 
his  unswerving  confidence  in  that  divine  Provi- 
dence which  had  guided  the  steps  of  the  fathers 
in  their  venturesome  journeyings  over  land  and 
sea,  and  which  was  still  leading  the  church  on  to 
the  conquest  of  the  world : 

"O  God,  beneath  thy  guiding  hand 

Our  exiled  fathers  crossed  the  sea; 
And  when  they  trod  the  wintry  strand, 

With  prayer  and  psalm  they  worshiped  thee. 

"Thou   heard'st,   well   pleased,   the   song,   the 

prayer: 

Thy  blessing  came;  and  still  its  power 
Shall  onward,  through  all  ages,  bear 
The  memory  of  that  holy  hour. 

"Laws,  freedom,  truth,  and  faith  in  God 
Came  with  those  exiles  o'er  the  waves; 
And,  where  their  pilgrim  feet  have  trod, 
The  God  they  trusted  guards  their  graves. 


BACON,  DUFFIELD,  BETHUNE 

"And  here  thy  Name,  O  God  of  love, 

Their  children's  children  shall  adore 
Till  these  eternal  hills  remove, 
And  spring  adorns  the  earth  no  more." 

GEORGE  DUFFIELD.,  JR. 

1818-1888 

The  family  of  Duffield  has  long  been  promi- 
nent in  Presbyterian  annals,  and  there  has  been 
frequent  confusion  as  to  the  identity  of  the  par- 
ticular individual  with  whom  we  are  now  con- 
cerned. Writing  in  1883,  the  author  of  "Stand 
up,  stand  up  for  Jesus"  endeavored  to  set  mat- 
ters straight.  "The  author  is  not  his  father,  Rev. 
George  Duffield,  D.D.,  the  patriarch  of  Michi- 
gan, born  in  1796,  and  who  died  at  Detroit,  1868. 
Neither  is  he  his  son,  Rev.  Samuel  W.  Duffield, 
born  in  1843.  .  .  .  His  father  has  not  yet  lost 
his  identity,  and  claims  to  be  his  own  individual 
self,  namely,  Rev.  George  Duffield,  A.M.,  pas- 
tor in  Brooklyn,  Long  Island,  seven  years;  in 
Bloomfield,  New  Jersey,  four  years ;  in  Philadel- 
phia, ten  years,  leaving  there  in  1861;  and  the 
rest  of  his  life  an  active  pastor  in  the  West — 
more  than  forty  years  in  all;  born,  1818,  .  .  . 
and  now  living  in  Detroit." 

It  was  during  his  Philadelphia  pastorate  that 
the  hymn  which  has  carried  his  name  around  the 
earth  was  written.  The  winter  of  1857-8  will 
always  be  remembered  for  the  wonderful  revival 

215 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

of  religion  which  spread  over  the  land.  Its  gra- 
cious influence  was  felt  far  and  wide,  in  city  and 
hamlet,  and  especially  in  Philadelphia,  where  it 
was  commonly  referred  to  as  "The  work  of  God 
in  Philadelphia."  It  was  here  that  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  new  in  those  days, 
had  gained  a  particularly  firm  footing.  Its  lead- 
ers threw  themselves  into  the  movement  with 
great  zeal,  and  the  revival  soon  developed  re- 
markable strength  among  the  young  men  of  the 
community. 

At  the  forefront  in  the  quest  for  souls  was  a 
group  of  young  clergymen,  such  as  Alfred  Cook- 
man  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  George 
Duffield  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  Dud- 
ley A.  Tyng  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
— all  of  them  close  and  congenial  friends. 

A  peculiar  interest  attached  to  Mr.  Tyng.  He 
was  thirty-three  years  old  at  the  time,  gifted,  of 
a  noble  heart  and  life,  and  with  a  most  winning 
personality.  Like  his  distinguished  father,  Ste- 
phen H.  Tyng,  D.D.,  he  was  a  Low  Churchman 
and  an  ardent  believer  in  church  union.  One  of 
the  last  messages  he  ever  gave  was  at  a  Congre- 
gational celebration  in  New  York,  when  he  said : 
"We  may  come  as  near  as  possible  to  what  some 
may  call  the  deep  and  broad  gulf  that  lies  be- 
tween us.  How  it  is  to  be  bridged  over  I  do  not 
know;  but  this  I  know,  that  I  will  stand  as  far 

216 


BACON,  DUFFIELD,  BETHUNE 

on  this  side  of  it  as  I  can,  and  will  reach  out  to 
grasp  the  hand  of  my  Congregational  brethren 
on  the  other  side ;  and  perhaps  we  may  reach  far 
enough  to  touch  and  hold  each  other  fast,  until, 
by  the  binding  of  loving  hearts  and  hands,  there 
may  be  constructed  a  living  bridge,  over  which 
God's  people  may  pass  in  spiritual  union." 

This  fraternal  attitude  toward  other  denom- 
inations made  him  very  unpopular  with  High 
Churchmen.  But  even  more  serious  in  its  conse- 
quences was  his  pronounced  hostility  to  slavery. 
He  had  been  rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Epiph- 
any, but  the  feeling  against  him,  among  the  pro- 
Southerners,  became  so  strong  that  he  had  been 
compelled  to  resign,  and  in  1857  he  organized 
the  Church  of  the  Covenant,  holding  services  in 
a  public  hall.  During  all  these  trying  days  he 
never  wavered;  he  was  standing  up  for  Jesus. 
Mr.  Tyng  was  the  leading  spirit  at  the  noon- 
day meetings  held  at  Jayne's  Hall,  under  the 
direction  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  On  March  30, 1858, 
he  himself  was  the  preacher,  taking  as  his  text: 
"Go  now,  ye  that  are  men,  and  serve  the  Lord." 
The  place  was  packed;  five  thousand  were  pres- 
ent ;  the  appeal  was  overwhelming,  and  it  is  said 
that  fully  a  thousand  men  gave  themselves  to 
Jesus  Christ. 

Two  weeks  later  he  was  at  his  country  home, 
when  he  left  his  study  to  look  at  a  corn-shelling 

217 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

machine  worked  by  mule-power  in  the  barn.  The 
sleeve  of  his  gown  got  caught  in  the  cogs  and  his 
arm  was  drawn  in  and  so  badly  lacerated  that  a 
few  days  later,  on  Monday,  April  19,  he  died. 
His  last  night  on  earth  was  one  of  intense  suf- 
fering. As  the  morning  broke  he  said  to  his 
father  and  the  others  watching  at  his  bedside, 
"Sing!  Sing!  Can  you  not  sing!"  and  he  himself 
began  to  sing  "Rock  of  Ages."  The  others  tried 
to  join  in  but  their  sobs  overcame  them.  As  the 
end  drew  near,  Dr.  Tyng,  bending  over  his  son, 
asked  him  if  he  had  any  farewell  word  for  the 
young  men  and  the  ministers  with  whom  he  had 
been  working.  He  waited  a  moment,  and  then 
with  his  last  remaining  strength  he  said,  "Tell 
them,  'Let  us  all  stand  up  for  Jesus.' ' 

At  the  following  noon  service,  when  announce- 
ment was  made  of  the  tragic  death  of  this  noble 
young  man  and  of  the  message  he  had  sent  to  his 
fellow-workers,  the  whole  audience  was  moved  to 
tears ;  and  as  the  news  went  abroad,  the  city  was 
stirred.  Among  those  present  was  Thomas  H. 
Stockton,  D.D.,  the  eminent  Methodist  Protest- 
ant minister.  Under  the  spell  of  this  sad  occa- 
sion he  returned  to  his  study  and  swiftly  wrote 
some  verses  which  were  read  at  Jayne's  Hall,  and 
were  afterward  copied,  and  recited  and  sung  all 
over  the  land.  They  have  long  since  been  for- 
gotten, but  in  this  connection  they  are  worth  re- 

218 


BACON,  DUFFIELD,  BETHUNE 

calling.    The  words  are  placed  upon  the  lips  of 
the  dying  minister: 

"Stand  up  for  Jesus!  Strengthened  by  his  hand, 
Even  I,  though  young,  have  ventured  thus  to  stand; 
But,  soon  cut  down,  as  maimed  and  faint  I  lie, 
Hear,  O  my  friends!  the  charge  with  which  I  die: 
Stand  up  for  Jesus! 

"Stand  up  for  Jesus !  All  who  lead  his  host ! 
Crowned  with  the  splendors  of  the  Holy  Ghost! 
Shrink  from  no  foe,  to  no  temptation  yield, 
Urge  on  the  triumph  of  this  glorious  field: 
Stand  up  for  Jesus! 

"Stand  up  for  Jesus!  Listeners  to  that  word1 
*Ye  that  are  men,  go  now  and  serve  the  Lord!' 
Only  to  serve  in  heaven,  on  earth  I  fall; 
Ye  who  remain,  still  hear  your  comrade's  call: 
Stand  up  for  Jesus!" 

While  this  "Christian  Ballad,"  as  the  author 
called  it,  is  forgotten,  the  same  occasion  and  the 
same  charge  inspired  lines  which  are  immortal. 
Returning  from  the  funeral  of  his  loved  friend 
and  colleague,  Rev.  George  Duffield  wrote  the 
words  of  "Stand  up,  stand  up  for  Jesus!" 

The  following  Sunday  he  preached  from  the 
text,  "Stand,  therefore,  having  your  loins  girt 
about  with  truth,  and  having  on  the  breastplate 
of  righteousness,"  and  he  recited  these  verses  as 
a  closing  exhortation.  He  tells  us  that  "the  Su- 

1  Exod.  10.  a.     Tyng's  text  in  bis  sermon. 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

perintendent  of  the  Sabbath  school  had  a  flyleaf 
printed  for  the  children — a  stray  copy  found  its 
way  into  a  Baptist  newspaper — and  from  that 
paper  it  has  gone  in  English,  and  in  German  and 
Latin  translations,  all  over  the  world.  The  first 
time  the  author  heard  it  sung,  outside  of  his  own 
denomination,  was  in  1864,  as  the  favorite  song 
of  the  Christian  soldiers  in  the  Army  of  the 
James." 

Probably  no  hymn  by  an  American  writer, 
with  the  single  exception  of  Ray  Palmer's  "My 
faith  looks  up  to  thee,"  is  found  in  so  many  hymn 
books  as  Dr.  Duffield's  immortal  lyric.  Occa- 
sionally a  compiler  has  changed  a  word  or  a  line, 
but  it  has  been  done  against  the  expressed  desire 
of  the  author.  "Since  the  night  it  was  written," 
he  says,  "it  has  never  been  altered  by  the  author 
in  a  single  verse,  a  single  line,  or  a  single  word, 
and  it  is  his  earnest  wish  that  it  shall  continue  un- 
altered until  the  Soldiers  of  the  Cross  shall  re- 
place it  by  something  better."  The  original 
hymn  consisted  of  six  stanzas,  of  which  the  sec- 
ond and  fifth  are  usually  omitted  in  our  collec- 
tions. The  hymn  entire,  as  written  by  Dr.  Duf- 
field,  is  as  follows : 

"Stand  up,  stand  up  for  Jesus! 

Ye  soldiers  of  the  cross; 
Lift  high  his  royal  banner, 
It  must  not  suffer  loss: 
220 


BACON,  DUFFIELD,  BETHUNE 

From  victory  unto  victory 
His  army  he  shall  lead, 

Till  every  foe  is  vanquished 
And  Christ  is  Lord  indeed 

"Stand  up,  stand  up  for  Jesus! 

The  solemn  watchword  hear; 
If  while  ye  sleep  he  suffers, 

Away  with  shame  and  fear; 
Where'er  ye  meet  with  evil, 

Within  you  or  without, 
Charge  for  the  God  of  Battles, 

And  put  the  foe  to  rout! 

"Stand  up,  stand  up  for  Jesus! 

The  trumpet  call  obey; 
Forth  to  the  mighty  conflict, 

In  this  his  glorious  day: 
Ye  that  are  men,  now  serve  him, 

Against  unnumbered  foes; 
Let  courage  rise  with  danger, 

And  strength  to  strength  oppose. 

"Stand  up,  stand  up  for  Jesus ! 

Stand  in  his  strength  alone; 
The  arm  of  flesh  will  fail  you, 

Ye  dare  not  trust  your  own: 
Put  on  the  gospel  armor. 

Each  piece  put  on  with  prayer; 
Where  duty  calls,  or  danger, 

Be  never  wanting  there. 

"Stand  up,  stand  up  for  Jesus! 

Each  soldier  to  his  post; 
Close  up  tBe  broken  column, 
And  shout  through  all  the  host: 
321 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Make  good  the  loss  so  heavy,- 
In  those  that  still  remain, 

And  prove  to  all  around  you 
That  death  itself  is  gain. 

"Stand  up,  stand  up  for  Jesus! 

The  strife  will  not  be  long; 
This  day  the  noise  of  battle, 

The  next  the  victor's  song: 
To  him  that  overcometh, 

A  crown  of  life  shall  be; 
He  with  the  King  of  glory 

Shall  reign  eternally." 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  BETHUNE 

1805-1862 

If  George  Washington  Bethune  had  turned 
out  badly,  it  would  not  have  been  the  fault  of 
his  parents.  The  Journal  kept  by  his  father  has 
been  preserved,  and  here  we  read  of  the  outpour- 
ing of  the  parent's  heart  in  prayer,  on  the  day 
George  was  born — March  18,  1805 — dedicating 
the  child  to  God,  that  he  may  "be  made  a  faith- 
ful, honored  and  zealous  minister  of  the  everlast- 
ing gospel."  And  these  prayers  and  this  influ- 
ence from  both  father  and  mother  continued 
through  the  years. 

The  elder  Bethune  and  his  wife  were  of  Scotch 
birth,  and  he  was  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of 
New  York,  prominent  as  a  merchant,  as  a  philan- 
thropist, and  as  a  churchman.  The  son  had  every 
early  advantage.  He  was  so  forward  in  his 

222 


BACON,  DUFFIELD,  BETHUNE 

studies  that  they  admitted  him  to  Columbia  Col- 
lege when  he  was  only  fourteen.  Later  he 
changed  to  Dickinson  College,  where  he  gradu- 
ated. Toward  the  close  of  his  collegiate  course 
he  had  a  definite  Christian  experience,  and  de- 
termined to  enter  the  ministry.  In  1825,  when 
but  twenty  years  of  age,  he  completed  the  work 
at  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  and  received 
his  ordination. 

His  first  appointment  was  as  chaplain  to  the 
seaman  in  the  port  of  Savannah,  and  it  was  while 
there  that  he  wrote  "Life's  Billows."  It  was  his 
first  hymn,  and  doubtless  this  was  one  reason  why 
to  the  end  of  his  life  it  was  his  favorite.  In  its 
simplicity  and  appropriateness  of  expression  it 
possesses  genuine  merit.  It  opens  with  the 
stanza : 

"Tossed  upon  life's  raging  billow, 

Sweet  it  is,  O  Lord,  to  know; 
Thou  didst  press  a  sailor's  pillow, 

And  canst  feel  a  sailor's  woe. 
Never  slumbering,  never  sleeping, 

Though  the  night  be  dark  and  drear, 
Thou  the  faithful  watch  art  keeping, 

'All,  all's  well,'  thy  constant  cheer.'* 

A  year  later  he  returned  north  to  accept  the 
pastorate  of  a  Dutch  Reformed  Church.  He 
served  various  churches  in  Philadelphia,  Brook- 
lyn, and  elsewhere.  He  was  a  man  of  broad 
scholarship  and  fine  literary  taste,  of  command- 

223 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

ing  power  both  in  and  out  of  the  pulpit.  The 
fact  that  he  declined  the  Provostship  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania  and  the  Chancellorship 
of  New  York  University  shows  what  the  aca- 
demic world  thought  of  him.  But  he  preferred 
to  be  a  preacher.  His  last  charge  to  his  son  and 
sons-in-law  was:  "My  sons,  preach  the  gospel. 
Tell  dying  sinners  of  a  Saviour.  All  the  rest  is 
but  folly." 

He  had  a  discriminating  ear  for  music,  and  he 
sometimes  composed  sacred  harmonies.  He  was 
especially  fond  of  hymns,  and  as  a  rule  he  looked 
askance  at  hymn-tinkering.  One  Sunday  morn- 
ing at  church,  he  stopped  in  the  reading  of  a 
hymn  and  exclaimed  to  his  startled  choir:  "This 
hymn  is  not  as  Cowper  wrote  it !  Who  has  dared 
to  alter  a  hymn  of  Cowper's?  Sing  it  thus  and 
not  so!" 

Failing  health  took  him  to  Florence,  Italy,  in 
the  fall  of  1861.  On  Sunday  morning,  April  27 
following,  he  was  announced  to  preach  at  the 
Scotch  Church.  On  the  preceding  Saturday 
evening,  as  he  sat  at  the  window  watching  the 
setting  sun,  he  said  to  his  wife:  "O,  Mary,  how 
I  wish  that  you  loved  Florence  as  I  do!  It  is 
beautiful  to  live  in  and  pleasant  to  die  in."  The 
next  morning  he  preached,  but  he  felt  unwell 
when  he  returned  home,  and  that  night  he  died. 
In  his  portfolio  they  found  this  hymn,  which  he 

224 


BACON,  DUFFIELD,  BETHUNE 

must  have  written  on  the  Saturday  before  the 

end: 

"When  time  seems  short  and  death  is  near, 
And  I  am  pressed  by  doubt  and  fear, 
And  sins,  an  overflowing  tide, 
Assail  my  peace  on  every  side, 
This  thought  my  refuge  still  shall  be, 
I  know  the  Saviour  died  for  me. 

"His  name  is  Jesus,  and  he  died, 
For  guilty  sinners  crucified; 
Content  to  die  that  he  might  win 
Their  ransom  from  the  death  of  sin: 
No  sinner  worse  than  I  can  be, 
Therefore  I  know  he  died  for  me. 

"If  grace  were  bought,  I  could  not  buy; 
If  grace  were  coined,  no  wealth  have  I; 
By  grace  alone  I  draw  my  breath, 
Held  up  from  everlasting  death; 
Yet,  since  I  know  his  grace  is  free, 
I  know  the  Saviour  died  for  me." 

Had  he  foreseen  what  a  day  would  bring  forth, 
he  could  not  have  penned  a  farewell  message 
more  appropriate  than  this.  His  body  was  em- 
balmed and  brought  to  New  York.  He  had  left 
directions  concerning  his  funeral,  "Sing  my 
own  hymn,  'It  is  not  death  to  die,'  to  a  cheerful 
tune."  His  whole  life  had  been  one  of  joyful 
trust  in  the  Lord,  and  he  wanted  no  undue  sad- 
ness at  the  end.  His  wishes  were  carried  out. 
The  hymn  to  which  he  referred  was  a  translation 

225 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

which  in  an  hour  of  inspiration  he  had  made  of  a 
poem  by  the  distinguished  Swiss  preacher,  Caesar 
Malan : 

"It  is  not  death  to  die, 

To  leave  this  weary  road, 
And  midst  the  brotherhood  on  high 
To  be  at  home  with  God. 

"It  is  not  death  to  close 

The  eye  long  dimmed  by  tears, 
And  wake,  in  glorious  repose 
To  spend  eternal  years. 

"It  is  not  death  to  bear 

The  wrench  that  sets  us  free 
From  dungeon  chain,  to  breathe  the  air 
Of  boundless  liberty. 

"It  is  not  death  to  fling 

Aside  this  sinful  dust, 
And  rise,  on  strong  exulting  wing, 
To  live  among  the  just. 

"Jesus,  thou  Prince  of  Life, 
Thy  chosen  cannot  die: 
Like  thee,  they  conquer  in  the  strife, 
To  reign  with  thee  on  high." 


226 


JOHN  GREENLEAF  WHITTIER 


CHAPTER  XIV 
WHITTIER 

JOHN  GREENLEAF  WHITTIER 

1807-1892 

To  multitudes  of  people  Whittier  is  the  best- 
loved  in  the  long  roll  of  American  Men  of  Let- 
ters. His  quaint  Quakerisms,  his  broad,  tolerant 
spirit,  his  prevailing  optimism,  his  deep  human 
sympathy,  together  with  the  wonderful  charm  of 
his  verse,  have  endeared  him  to  the  popular  heart 
in  a  very  peculiar  way. 

In  all  his  habits  of  mind  he  was  an  American 
through  and  through.  He  was  devoted  to  his 
New  England  hills,  and  was  glad  to  spend  his 
life  in  or  near  the  house  where  he  was  born, 
and  which  his  great-grandsire  had  erected  in 
1688.  And  yet  his  boyhood  brought  with  it 
many  hardships.  While  Emerson,  Longfellow, 
Holmes,  and  Lowell  were  enjoying  all  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  liberal  education,  Whittier  was 
wearing  himself  out  with  the  heavy  drudgery  of 
farm-work.  Swinging  the  flail  so  overtaxed  his 
strength,  and  the  absence  of  flannels  and  an  over- 
coat in  even  the  bitterest  winter  weather  so  ex- 
posed him,  that  the  seeds  of  physical  weakness 
were  sown  from  which  he  never  recovered. 

227 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

He  was  ambitious  for  something  better.  His 
older  sister  saw  him  one  evening,  when  a  small 
boy,  before  the  big  kitchen  fire  writing  on  his 
slate : 

"And  must  I  always  swing  the  flail, 
And  help  to  fill  the  milking  pail? 
I  wish  to  go  away  to  school; 
I  do  not  wish  to  be  a  fool." 

But  he  was  nineteen  years  old  before  he  en- 
tered the  doors  of  anything  but  an  inferior  dis- 
trict school.  Then  through  his  own  industry, 
making  shoes  and  teaching  school,  he  earned 
enough  to  spend  two  seasons  at  the  Haverhill 
Academy.  In  his  father's  home,  humble  as  it 
was,  there  were  a  few  books  which  young  Whit- 
tier  had  read  till  he  knew  them  by  heart.  Now 
he  had  access  to  a  whole  library,  and  he  fairly 
reveled  among  its  treasures.  When  he  left  the 
Academy,  though  he  had  only  the  rudiments  of 
an  education,  he  had  caught  a  vision  of  greater 
things  beyond;  he  never  ceased  to  be  a  student. 

In  the  meantime  he  had  begun  to  write  verses. 
One  day,  while  still  at  home,  he  tells  us  that  "we 
had  a  call  from  a  'pawky  auld  carle'  of  a  wander- 
ing Scotchman.  To  him  I  owe  my  first  intro- 
duction to  the  songs  of  Burns.  After  eating  his 
bread  and  cheese  and  drinking  his  mug  of  cider, 
he  gave  us  Bonny  Doon,  Highland  Mary,  and 
Auld  Lang  Syne.  He  had  a  rich,  full  voice,  and 

228 


WHITTIER 

entered  heartily  into  the  spirit  of  his  lyrics."  We 
can  readily  imagine  what  a  sensation  such  a 
seemingly  trifling  event  must  have  made  in  that 
serious  Quaker  circle,  where  even  the  singing  of 
a  Psalm  was  never  so  much  as  thought  of.  The 
boy's  imagination  was  aflame.  He  borrowed  a 
copy  of  Burns  from  the  district  schoolmaster,  and 
under  the  new  stimulus  he  began  in  real  earnest 
to  write  verses  of  his  own. 

It  was  in  1833  that  for  the  first  time  Whittier 
really  found  himself.  He  was  ambitious,  right- 
fully so.  Already  his  reputation  as  a  poet  was 
widespread ;  he  had  been  successful  as  an  editor ; 
he  was  making  his  way  in  political  circles;  he 
was  planning  to  run  for  Congress;  when  sud- 
denly there  came  an  appeal  from  Garrison  to  join 
the  Abolition  cause.  To  Whittier  it  was  the  call 
of  God.  He  had  always  been  a  fearless  cham- 
pion of  the  right,  now  he  was  to  enter  the  van- 
guard of  the  reformers.  Loss  of  friends,  blight- 
ing of  political  hopes,  perils  of  mob  violence?  It 
mattered  not.  His  was  a  holy  crusade.  The 
words  he  had  made  another  say  in  his  "Star  of 
Bethlehem,"  were  now. his  own: 

"And  what  am  I,  o'er  such  a  land 

The  banner  of  the  Cross  to  bear? 
Dear  Lord,  uphold  me  with  thy  hand. 

Thy  strength  with  human  weakness  share!" 

Nothing  could  be  stranger,  or  indeed,  more 
229 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

humorous — were  it  not  for  the  terrible  serious- 
ness of  it — than  the  spectacle  of  this  peace-loving, 
inoffensive  Quaker,  who  would  rather  have 
suffered  imprisonment  and  torture  than  to  have 
shouldered  a  gun  and  gone  to  the  front,  using, 
with  relentless  and  fiery  zeal,  the  even  deadlier 
weapons  of  his  heart  and  brain  against  the  de- 
fenders of  slavery.  But  it  was  characteristic 
of  the  man.  His  soul  was  bent  on  lifting  his 
brother-man,  not  alone  the  slaves  in  the  South, 
but  the  oppressed  and  the  needy  of  every  land, 
whether  under  the  tyranny  of  State  or  Church 
or  Industry. 

To  Whittier,  as  to  every  true  worshiper  of 
God,  divine  homage  does  not  consist  in  "the  pomp 
of  rituals,  and  the  savor  of  gums  and  spices" ;  it 
is  far  more  than  this.  In  his  poem  entitled  "Wor- 
ship," written  during  the  stress  of  the  antislavery 
movement,  his  thought  reaches  its  climax  in  the 
closing  verses,  which  very  fittingly  have  found 
a  place  in  a  number  of  our  hymn  books : 

"O  brother  man!  fold  to  thy  heart  thy  brother; 

Where  pity  dwells,  the  peace  of  God  is  there; 
To  worship  rightly  is  to  love  each  other, 

Each  smile  a  hymn,  each  kindly  deed  a  prayer. 

"Follow  with  reverent  steps  the  great  example 

Of  Him  whose  holy  work  was  'doing  good'; 
So  shall  the  wide  earth  seem  our  Father's  temple, 
Each  loving  life  a  psalm  of  gratitude. 
230 


WHITTIER 

"Then  shall  all  shackles  fall;  the  stormy  clangor 
Of  wild  war  music  o'er  the  earth  shall  cease; 
Love  shall  tread  out  the  baleful  fire  of  anger, 
And  in  its  ashes  plant  the  tree  of  peace." 

As  time  went  on  and  the  contest  with  the  pro- 
slavery  party  became  more  acute,  there  was  much 
to  try  the  faith  of  even  so  sturdy  an  optimist  as 
Whittier.  We  must  remember  that  among  the 
literary  leaders  of  New  England  he  stood  almost 
alone  in  his  utter  devotion  to  abolition.  Men  all 
about  him,  eminent  in  the  pulpit  and  in  other 
spheres  of  public  life,  held  coldly  aloof  or  openly 
antagonized  the  antislavery  movement.  On 
March  7,  1850,  Webster  made  his  memorable 
speech  in  the  Senate,  advocating  compromise  and 
defending  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law,  a  speech 
which  brought  untold  surprise  and  grief  to  Whit- 
tier  as  well  as  to  many  others,  and  which  called 
forth  the  poet's  "Ichabod"  in  reply.  The  out- 
look was  dark.  The  South  was  united  and  more 
determined  than  ever  not  to  yield  an  inch  but 
rather  to  increase  its  preserves.  The  North,  from 
various  motives,  was  largely  apathetic.  There 
was  serious  division  even  in  the  ranks  of  the  aboli- 
tionists. Garrison  led  the  extremists  who  were 
hurling  their  curses  at  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States.  Whittier,  no  less  zealous,  but 
wiser,  lined  up  with  the  more  temperate  body, 
and  thereby  brought  upon  himself  the  bitter  cen- 

231 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

sure  of  some  who  had  been  his  most  ardent 
friends.  But  the  whole  strength  of  his  young 
manhood,  heart  and  soul,  was  dedicated  to  the 
task  of  freeing  the  slaves.  It  was  indeed  a  con- 
secration of  all  he  had.  High  hopes  and  plans 
had  been  set  aside.  He  was  a  man  of  one  pur- 
pose. 

In  1847  he  became  Corresponding  Editor  of 
the  National  Era,  published  in  Washington,  a 
strong  antislavery  paper,  and  this  kept  his  pen 
busier  than  ever.  It  was  shortly  after  this  that 
he  wrote  to  a  friend:  "What  Providence  has  in 
store  for  me  I  know  not,  but  my  heart  is  full  of 
thankfulness  that  I  have  been  permitted  to  do 
something  for  the  cause  of  humanity." 

It  was  in  these  trying  days,  when  the  progress 
of  the  great  reform  seemed  to  be  stayed  or  even 
turned  backward,  when  his  own  efforts  seemed 
to  be  well-nigh  wasted,  that  he  wrote  one  of  his 
most  characteristic  and  best-loved  poems,  "Seed- 
Time  and  Harvest."  His  childlike  trust  in  God, 
the  divine  wisdom  and  goodness  and  might,  never 
failed  him.  His  Quaker  upbringing,  with  its  doc- 
trine of  the  Inner  Light,  and  its  constant  empha- 
sis on  the  nearness  of  God,  his  indwelling  pres- 
ence in  the  human  heart,  brought  to  him  a  restful- 
ness  and  contentment  of  soul  which  often  found 
expression  in  his  verse.  He  was  doing  his  duty, 
scattering  the  seed ;  he  was  willing  to  abide  God's 


WHITTIER 

time  for  the  harvest.  As  we  read  this  poem — 
written  about  1850 — we  are  glad  that  Whittier 
had  not  many  years  to  wait  before  he  saw  the  full, 
rich  harvest  of  his  toil  and  sacrifice.  The  entire 
poem  needs  to  be  read  to  catch  the  full  thought, 
though  only  the  last  five  verses  are  included  in 
the  hymn  as  usually  sung: 

"As  o'er  his  furrowed  fields  which  lie 
Beneath  a  coldly  dropping  sky, 
Yet  chill  with  winter's  melted  snow, 
The  husbandman  goes  forth  to  sow, 

"Thus,  Freedom,  on  the  bitter  blast 
The  ventures  of  thy  seed  we  cast, 
And  trust  to  warmer  sun  and  rain 
To  swell  the  germs  and  fill  the  grain. 

"Who  calls  thy  glorious  service  hard? 
Who  deems  it  not  its  own  reward? 
Who,  for  its  trials,  counts  it  less 
A  cause  of  praise  and  thankfulness? 

"It  may  not  be  our  lot  to  wield 
The  sickle  in  the  ripened  field; 
Nor  ours  to  hear,  on  summer  eves, 
The  reaper's  song  among  the  sheaves. 

"Yet  where  our  duty's  task  is  wrought 
In  unison  with  God's  great  thought, 
The  near  and  future  blend  in  one, 
And  whatso'er  is  willed,  is  done. 

"And  ours  the  grateful  service  whence 
Comes,  day  by  day,  the  recompense; 
The  hope,  the  trust,  the  purpose  stayed, 
The  fountain   and  the  noonday  shade. 
233 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"And  were  this  life  the  utmost  span, 
The  only  end  and  aim  of  man, 
Better  the  toil  of  fields  like  these 
Than  waking  dream  and  slothful  ease. 

"But  life,  though  falling  like  our  grain, 
Like  that  revives  and  springs  again; 
And,  early  called,  how  blest  are  they 
Who  wait  hi  heaven,  their  harvest  day!" 

William  McKinley  was  very  fond  of  church 
hymns  and  always  joined  heartily  in  their  sing- 
ing. This  hymn  by  Whittier  was  one  of  his  fa- 
vorites, and  at  his  request  it  was  sung  at  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Canton,  Ohio, 
where  he  was  a  member,  on  the  Sunday  morning 
before  he  started  for  his  inauguration  at  Wash- 
ington. 

Whittier  rarely  wrote  a  poem  intending  that 
it  should  be  sung.  The  Quakers  never  sang  in 
their  meetings,  and  he  scarcely  knew  what  con- 
gregational singing  was.  "I  am  really  not  a 
hymn  writer,"  he  once  said  of  himself,  "for  the 
good  reason  that  I  know  nothing  of  music.  Only 
a  very  few  of  my  pieces  were  written  for  singing. 
A  good  hymn  is  the  best  use  to  which  poetry 
can  be  devoted,  but  I  do  not  claim  that  I  have 
succeeded  in  composing  one."  But  whether  he 
knew  anything  about  music  or  not,  he  had  a  mu- 
sical soul.  His  poems  are  full  of  the  sweetest 
melody,  and  fully  seventy-five  hymns  now  in  use 

234 


WHITTIER 

bear  his  authorship.  In  the  collection  of  sixty- 
six  hymns  prepared  for  the  Congress  of  Reli- 
gions at  Chicago,  in  1893,  nine  were  by  Whittier, 
a  larger  number  than  from  anyone  else,  and  com- 
pilers of  hymnals  are  turning  more  and  more  to 
his  poems  for  material  to  enrich  their  books. 

His  two  noble  poems,  "Our  Master"  and  "The 
Eternal  Goodness,"  each  of  them  a  revelation  of 
the  poet's  deepest  experience  and  soul-yearning, 
have  yielded  a  number  of  hymns  which  are  sung 
throughout  the  English-speaking  world.  They 
are  composed  of  selected  stanzas  somewhat  dif- 
ferently arranged  according  to  the  taste  of  the 
individual  compiler. 

There  has  been  much  discussion  as  to  whether 
Whittier  was  strictly  orthodox  in  his  beliefs  con- 
cerning Jesus  Christ.  Unitarian  writers  have 
insisted  that  he  belonged  to  their  fold,  and  they 
have  certainly  made  more  extensive  use  of  his 
hymns  than  any  other  denomination.  But  "Our 
Master,"  and  other  poems,  such  as  "The  Cruci- 
fixion," leave  no  doubt  in  our  minds  as  to  the 
adequate  place  which  "Our  Friend,  our  Brother, 
and  our  Lord"  had  in  the  belief  of  the  Quaker 
poet.  Indeed,  the  faith  in  which  he  had  been 
reared,  with  its  steadfast  insistence  on  the  in- 
dwelling of  the  Spirit  divine,  seemed  to  bring  the 
Christ  peculiarly  near  to  him.  This  was  one 
reason  why  outward  signs  and  symbols,  even  the 

235 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

observance  of  Christmas,  seemed  to  the  Quakers 
so  needless.  The  Lord  Christ  is  neither  in  "the 
heavenly  steeps"  nor  in  "the  lowest  deeps";  he 
is  within  our  hearts. 

"Nor  holy  bread,  nor  blood  of  grape," 
The  "lineaments  restore." 

"In  vain  shall  waves  of  incense  drift 

The  vaulted  nave  around, 
In  vain  the  minster  turret  lift 
Its  brazen  weights  of  sound. 

"The  heart  must  ring  thy  Christmas  bells, 

Thy  inward  altars  raise; 
Its  faith  and  hope  thy  canticles 
And  its  obedience  praise!" 

Our  church  hymnody  is  permanently  enriched 
through  a  poem  like  this.  It  has  the  universal 
appeal: 

"O  Lord  and  Master  of  us  all! 
Whate'er  our  name  or  sign, 
We  own  thy  sway,  we  hear  thy  call, 
We  test  our  lives  by  thine." 

John  Bright  was  a  great  admirer  of  Whittier's 
poems.  After  reading  "The  Eternal  Goodness," 
he  wrote:  "It  is  worth  a  crowd  of  sermons  which 
are  spoken  from  the  pulpit  of  our  sects  and 
churches,  which  I  do  not  wish  to  undervalue."  In 
the  tender  pathos  of  its  appeal,  a  human  heart  to 
human  hearts,  it  has  no  equal  in  anything  that 
Whittier  ever  wrote,  and  it  is  not  surprising  that 
many  of  its  stanzas  have  a  treasured  place  in  our 

236 


WHITTIER 

standard  hymn  books.  Though  born  and  reared 
a  Quaker,  Whittier  necessarily  came  into  close 
contact  with  the  old  Puritan  theology  which  had 
held  New  England  in  its  stern  grip  for  so 
many  years.  Needless  to  say  there  were  some 
features  of  that  theology  from  which  he  shrank 
in  horror.  He  denied  that  he  was  a  Universalist, 
for  he  did  not  know,  but  he  had  very  strong  hope 
that  all  men  would  be  saved.  He  had  expressed 
this  in  earlier  poems,  and  in  reply  to  the  Criticism 
that  followed,  he  wrote  "The  Eternal  Goodness," 
explaining  his  thought  more  fully.  An  uncon- 
querable belief  in  the  goodness  of  God,  the  fruit 
of  the  love  of  God,  was  the  heart  and  soul  of 
Whittier's  religion.  It  never  failed  him.  How- 
ever dark  and  evil  the  times,  his  faith  was  serene. 

"I  see  the  wrong  that  round  me  lies 

I  feel  the  guilt  within; 
I  hear,  with  groan  and  travail-cries, 
The  world  confess  its  sin. 

"Yet,  in  the  maddening  maze  of  things, 

And  tossed  by  storm  and  flood, 
To  one  fixed  trust  my  spirit  clings; 
I  know  that  God  is  good!" 

Because  of  this  faith,  he  dared  hope  and  pray  that 
in  God's  long  years,  "life's  broken  circle"  would 
be  made  whole. 

With  "household  voices  gone"  and  "vanished 
smiles,"  and  with  his  own  face  turned  toward  that 

231 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

unknown  future  of  "marvel  or  surprise,"  it  was 
this  same  faith  that  inspired  him  to  sing : 

"I  know  not  where  His  islands  lift 

Their  fronded  palms  in  air; 
I  only  know  I  cannot  drift 
Beyond  his  love  and  care." 

His  old  age  was  sunny  because  his  trust  in  the 
goodness  of  God  and  all  that  it  meant  had  in- 
creased with  the  passage  of  the  years.  His  faith 
was  triumphant.  In  1881  he  wrote  to  a  friend: 
"The  world  is  growing  better;  the  Lord  reigns; 
our  old  planet  is  wheeling  slowly  into  fuller  light. 
I  despair  of  nothing  good.  All  will  come  in  due 
time  that  is  really  needed.  All  that  we  have  to  do 
is  to  work — and  wait." 

The  ritual  of  the  churches  never  appealed  to 
Whittier.  With  his  simple  Quaker  taste  and  his 
reliance  on  the  Inner  Light,  he  had  no  sympathy 
with  form  and  ceremony.  He  knew,  as  we  all 
know,  that  too  often  sign  and  symbol  take  the 
place  of  reality,  and  that  in  the  most  elaborate 
service  the  spirit  of  true  worship  may  be  utterly 
absent.  Some  of  his  most  earnest  and  effective 
poems  were  pleas  for  simplicity  in  worship,  a  re- 
turn to  the  primitive  and  soulful  manner  of  ap- 
proach to  God.  From  the  poem  entitled  "The 
Brewing  of  Soma,"  is  taken  one  of  our  most  beau- 
tiful hymns,  with  this  thought  running  through  it. 
Soma,  in  Hindu  mythology,  was  the  Indian  Bac- 

238 


WHITTIER 

chus,  the  god  personifying  the  soma  plant  from 
which  an  intoxicating  milky  juice  was  squeezed. 
This  juice  was  supposed  to  give  health  and  long 
life,  and  it  was  prepared  with  ceremonial  care. 
The  brewing  and  drinking  were  accompanied  by 
boisterous  antics  in  honor  of  Soma.  The  poet 
writes : 

.  .  .  "the  past  comes  round  again, 

And  new  doth  old  fulfil; 
In  sensual  transports  wild  as  vain 
We  brew  in  many  a  Christian  fane 

The  heathen  Soma  still! 

"Dear  Lord  and  Father  of  mankind, 

Forgive  our  foolish  ways! 
Reclothe  us  in  our  rightful  mind, 
In  purer  lives  thy  service  find, 

In  deeper  reverence,  praise. 

"In  simple  trust  like  theirs  who  heard 

Beside  the  Syrian  sea 
The  gracious  calling  of  the  Lord, 
Let  us,  like  them,  without  a  word, 

Rise  up  and  follow  thee. 

"O  Sabbath  rest  by  Galilee! 

O  calm  of  hills  above, 
Where  Jesus  knelt  to  share  with  thee 
The  silence  of  eternity 

Interpreted  by  love! 

"Drop  thy  still  dews  of  quietness, 

Till  all  our  strivings  cease; 
Take  from  our  souls  the  strain  and  stress, 
And  let  our  ordered  lives  confess 
The  beauty  of  thy  peace. 
239 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"Breathe  through  the  heats  of  our  desire 

Thy  coolness  and  thy  balm; 
Let  sense  be  dumb,  let  flesh  retire; 
Speak  through  the  earthquake,  wind,  and  fire, 

O  still,  small  voice  of  calm!" 

Whittier's  writings,  both  poems  and  letters, 
are  full  of  his  belief  in  a  future  life.  No  Amer- 
ican poet  is  quoted  as  often  on  immortality  as  he, 
none  has  given  such  comfort  to  bereaved  hearts. 
And  yet  with  him  as  with  us  all,  it  was  a  matter 
of  faith  rather  than  of  reasoning.  Said  he, 
"There  is  no  great  use  in  arguing  the  question  of 
immortality.  One  must  feel  its  truth.  You  can- 
not climb  into  heaven  on  a  syllogism."  Now  and 
again  he  had  his  doubts  and  fears.  He  longed 
for  "assurance  doubly  sure."  As  life  crept  on, 
and  he  began  to  feel  "the  dark  and  chill  of  the 
evening  shadows  rest  upon  him,"  he  exclaimed, 
"The  awful  mysteries  of  life  and  nature  some- 
times almost  overwhelm  me.  'What,  Where, 
Whither?'  These  questions  sometimes  hold  me 
breathless."  When  he  loosened  his  grasp  on  faith 
and  tried  to  gain  intellectual  certainty,  he  gave 
up  in  despair.  His  heart  whispered  "That  Life 
is  ever  Lord  of  Death."  His  head  replied, 
"Prove  it!"  And  he  could  not.  But  faith  tri- 
umphed over  every  doubt  and  fear.  As  he  lay 
dying  he  whispered,  "Love — love  to  all  the 
world."  And  when  the  final  moment  approached, 

240 


WHITTIER 

one  of  the  watchers  at  his  bedside,  with  tearful 
voice,  recited  his  poem,  "At  Last,"  which  he 
wrote  in  old  age,  and  which  has  so  fittingly  found 
a  place  in  our  hymnody : 

"When  on  my  day  of  life  the  night  is  falling, 

And,  in  the  winds  from  unsunned  spaces  blown, 
I  hear  far  voices  out  of  darkness  calling 
My  feet  to  paths  unknown; 

"Thou,  who  hast  made  my  home  of  life  so  pleasant, 
Leave  not  its  tenant  when  its  walls  decay; 

0  Love  Divine,  O  Helper  ever  present, 
Be  thou  my  strength  and  stay! 

"Be  near  me  when  all  else  is  from  me  drifting; 

Earth,  sky,  home's  pictures,  days  of  shade  and 

shine, 

And  kindly  faces  to  my  own  uplifting 
The  love  which  answers  mine. 

"I  have  but  thee,  my  Father!  let  thy  Spirit 
Be  with  me  then  to  comfort  and  uphold; 

No  gate  of  pearl,  no  branch  of  palm  I  merit, 
Nor  street  of  shining  gold. 

"Suffice  it  if — my  good  and  ill  unreckoned, 

And  both  forgiven  through  thy  abounding  grace — 

1  find  myself  by  hands  familiar  beckoned 
Unto  my  fitting  place, — 

"Some  humble  door  among  thy  many  mansions, 
Some  sheltering  shade  where  sin  and   striving 

cease, 

And  flows  forever  through  heaven's  green  expan- 
sions 
The  river  of  thy  peace. 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"There,  from  the  music  round  about  me  stealing, 
I  fain  would  learn  the  new  and  holy  song, 

And  find  at  last,  beneath  thy  trees  of  healing, 
The  life  for  which  I  long." 


lii. 


CHAPTER  XV 
MRS.  STOWE,  MRS.  HOWE 

HARRIET  BEECHER  STOWE 

1812-1890 

IN  her  Days  with  Mrs.  Stowe,  Mrs.  Fields 
tells  us  that  in  the  twilight,  one  evening,  late  in 
life,  Mrs.  Stowe  "was  accosted  in  the  garden  of 
her  country  retreat,  by  a  good  old  retired  sea 
captain,  who  was  her  neighbor  for  the  time. 
'When  I  was  younger,'  said  he,  respectfully, 
holding  his  hat  in  his  hand  while  he  spoke,  'I  read 
with  a  great  deal  of  satisfaction  and  instruction 
Uncle  Tom's  Cabin.  The  story  impressed  me 
very  much,  and  I  am  happy  to  shake  hands  with 
you,  Mrs.  Stowe,  who  wrote  it.'  'I  did  not  write 
it,'  answered  the  white-haired  old  lady,  gently, 
as  she  shook  the  captain's  hand.  'You  didn't?'  he 
ejaculated  in  amazement.  'Why,  who  did,  then?' 
'God  wrote  it,'  she  replied  simply.  'I  simply  did 
his  dictation.'  'Amen!'  said  the  captain,  rever- 
ently, as  he  walked  thoughtfully  away."  This 
expressed  the  heart  of  Mrs.  Stowe.  Whether 
her  message  was  in  story  or  tract  or  hymn,  she 
felt  that  God  was  speaking  through  her,  and  she 
could  say,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord." 

243 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

It  is  doubtful  if  America  has  produced  a  fam- 
ily quite  equal  to  the  group  that  gathered  about 
Lyman  Beecher  in  the  old  parsonage  at  L itch- 
field,  Connecticut.  The  first  wife  died  when 
Harriet  was  less  than  four  and  Henry  Ward  was 
a  baby.  It  was  the  dying  prayer  of  this  devoted 
mother  that  God  would  call  all  six  of  her  boys 
into  the  ministry,  and  the  prayer  was  answered. 
All  the  world  knows,  at  least  in  part,  what  the 
Beecher  family  contributed,  through  voice  and 
pen,  to  the  uplift  of  humanity. 

Harriet  could 'never  forget  the  day  when  she 
definitely  committed  her  life  to  Jesus  Christ. 
It  was  a  Sunday  during  the  summer  when  she 
was  fourteen.  That  morning  her  father  preached 
a  sermon  of  such  tender  and  appealing  force  that 
it  went  straight  to  the  girl's  heart,  and  she  de- 
termined then  and  there  to  become  a  Christian. 
At  the  moment  she  made  the  inner  vow,  her 
"whole  soul  was  illumined  with  joy,"  and  as  she 
walked  home  it  seemed  to  her  "as  if  Nature  her- 
self were  hushing  her  breath  to  hear  the  music  of 
heaven."  "As  soon  as  father  came  home  and  was 
seated  in  his  study,  I  went  up  to  him  and  fell  in 
his  arms,  saying,  'Father,  I  have  given  myself  to 
Jesus,  and  he  has  taken  me.'  I  never  shall  forget 
the  expression  of  his  face  as  he  looked  down  into 
my  earnest,  childish  eyes ;  it  was  so  sweet,  so  gen- 
tle, and  like  sunlight  breaking  out  upon  a  land- 

244 


MRS.  STOWE,  MRS.  HOWE 

scape.  'Is  it  so?'  he  said,  holding  me  silently 
to  his  heart,  as  I  felt  the  hot  tears  fall  on  my 
head.  'Then  has  a  new  flower  blossomed  in  the 
kingdom  this  day.' '  There  were  hours  of  spirit- 
ual depression  in  the  after  years,  but  that  early 
experience  was  never  lost,  and  as  time  went  on 
Mrs.  Stowe  developed  a  rarely  beautiful  and  ma- 
ture Christian  character. 

Her  hymns  touch  the  lowest  deeps  of  the  soul- 
life.  In  the  summer  of  1853  she  said  to  a  friend 
who  was  visiting  at  the  home,  that  "she  often 
arose  in  the  morning  at  half -past  four  and  went 
out  to  enjoy  the  birds  and  the  dawn,  and  she  chal- 
lenged him  to  join  her.  The  next  morning  they 
went  out,  and  in  that  rare,  sweet  atmosphere  they 
talked  and  were  silent  together.  And  she  read 
to  him  some  verses  which  she  had  written  at  such 
an  hour."  They  were  the  verses  of  the  hymn 
which  since  then  has  been  so  often  sung  and 
which  has  brought  comfort  and  peace  to  so  many 
troubled  hearts: 

"Still,  still  with  thee,  when  purple  morning  breaketh, 

When  the  bird  waketh,  and  the  shadows  flee; 
Fairer  than  morning,  lovelier  than  daylight, 

Dawns  the  sweet  consciousness,  I  am  with  thee. 

"Alone  with  thee,  amid  the  mystic  shadows, 

The  solemn  hush  of  nature  newly  born; 
Alone  with  thee  in  breathless  adoration, 

In  the  calm  dew  and  freshness  of  the  morn. 
245 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"As  in  the  dawning  o'er  the  waveless  ocean, 
The  image  of  the  morning-star  doth  rest, 
So  in  this  stillness,  thou  beholdest  only 
Thine  image  in  the  waters  of  my  breast. 

"Still,  still  with  thee!  As  to  each  newborn  morning 

A  fresh  and  solemn  splendor  still  is  given, 
So  does  this  blessed  consciousness  awaking, 

Breathe  each  day  nearness  unto  thee  and  heaven. 

"When  sinks  the  soul,  subdued  by  toil,  to  slumber, 

Its  closing  eyes  look  up  to  thee  in  prayer; 
Sweet  the  repose  beneath  thy  wings  o'ershading, 
But  sweeter  still,  to  wake  and  find  thee  there. 

"So  shall  it  be  at  last,  in  that  bright  morning, 

When  the  soul  waketh,  and  life's  shadows  flee; 
O  in  that  hour,  fairer  than  daylight  dawning, 
Shall  rise  the  glorious  thought — I  am  with  thee." 

From  the  day  that  the  fourteen-year-old  girl 
cried,  "Father,  I  have  given  myself  to  Jesus," 
on  to  the  very  end,  the  Lord  Christ  was  the  center 
of  her  life.  In  old  age  we  find  her  saying,  "This 
winter  I  study  nothing  but  Christ's  life.  .  .  . 
It  keeps  my  mind  steady,  and  helps  me  to  bear 
the  languor  and  pain."  She  wrote  to  a  friend, 
"I  have  sometimes  had  in  my  sleep  strange  per- 
ceptions of  a  vivid  spiritual  life  near  to  and  with 
Christ.  .  .  .  The  inconceivable  loveliness  of 
Christ!  ...  I  was  saying  as  I  awoke: 

"Tis  joy  enough,  my  all  in  all, 

At  thy  dear  feet  to  lie. 
Thou  wilt  not  let  me  lower  fall, 

And  none  can  higher  fly.' 
246 


MRS.  STOWE,  MRS.  HOWE 

"This  was  but  a  glimpse;  but  it  has  left  a 
strange  sweetness  in  my  mind."  One  day,  while 
still  a  comparatively  young  woman,  she  was 
quietly  meditating  on  the  words  of  Jesus,  "Abide 
in  me,  and  I  in  you";  and  then  it  was  that  she 
wrote  the  lines  of  this  hymn  which  we  quote  in 
part;  it  is  her  soul's  response  to  the  Master's 
appeal: 

"That  mystic  word  of  thine,  O  sovereign  Lord, 

Is  all  too  pure,  too  high,  too  deep  for  me; 
Weary  of  striving,  and  with  longing  faint, 
I  breathe  it  back  again  in  prayer  to  thee. 

"Abide  in  me,  I  pray,  and  I  in  thee! 

From  this  good  hour,  O,  leave  me  nevermore! 
Then  shall  the  discord  cease,  the  wound  be  healed, 
The  life-long  bleeding  of  the  soul  be  o'er 

"Abide  in  me;  o'ershadow  by  thy  love 

Each  half-formed  purpose  and  dark  thought  of 

sin; 

Quench,  ere  it  rise,  each  selfish,  low  desire, 
And  keep  my  soul  as  thine,  calm  and  divine. 

"As  some  rare  perfume,  in  a  vase  of  clay 

Pervades  it  with  a  fragrance  not  its  own, 
So,  when  thou  dwellest  in  a  mortal  soul, 

All   heaven's   own    sweetness   seems   around   it 
thrown." 

Mrs.  Stowe's  life  was  by  no  means  one  of  un- 
broken ease  and  quiet.  There  were  many  times 
of  serious  physical  disability  when  her  sufferings 
were  intense.  When  she  was  twenty-one  the 

247 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

family  broke  away  from  their  beloved  New  Eng- 
land connections  and  migrated  to  what  was  then 
the  frontier  town  of  Cincinnati.  Years  of  patient 
struggling  followed.     Her  husband,  because  of 
physical  collapse,  was  obliged  to  spend  fifteen 
months  alone  in  the  east.    During  his  absence  a 
terrible  scourge   of  cholera  visited   Cincinnati, 
and  the  youngest  child  died:  "My  Charley — my 
beautiful,  gladsome  baby,  so  loving,  so  sweet,  so 
full  of  life  and  hope  and  strength,"  as  the  stricken 
mother  wrote  to  the  equally  stricken  father.  And 
yet  amid  all  her  troubles  her  faith  remained  buoy- 
ant, and  she  could  say,  "There  is  not  one  sorrow 
that  I  have  had  that  I  would  part  with — nay, 
I  bear  with  joy  all  that  falls  on  my  heart  from 
day  to  day.    I  say  'Welcome,  cross  of  Christ!' ' 
But  a  heavier  blow  that  she  knew  not  of  was 
impending.     In  the  summer  of  1857  her  eldest 
son,  Henry,  the  hope  and  pride  of  her  heart,  a 
student  at  Dartmouth,  was  drowned  in  the  Con- 
necticut River.    It  was  the  crushing  grief  of  her 
whole  life.    The  letters  that  she  wrote  after  the 
event  but  feebly  expressed  an  anguish  of  soul 
which  was  far  too  deep  for  words.    But  a  sorrow 
scarcely  second  to  this  came  when  another  son 
was  wounded  in  the  head  at  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg.   He  did  not  die,  but  the  brain  was  affected 
so  that  he  was  never  himself  again.    It  was  a  liv- 
ing sorrow.    It  is  stimulating  to  one's  own  faith 

248 


MRS.  STOWE,  MRS.  HOWE 

and  courage  to  find  a  fellow-soul,  amid  experi- 
ences like  these,  standing  true  and  steadfast. 
Mrs.  Stowe  had  entered  the  "secret  place  of  the 
Most  High,"  and  it  was  this  that  enabled  her  to 
write  that  hymn  entitled,  "The  Secret,"  which 
was  often  a  consolation  to  her  as  it  has  been  to 
others : 

"When  winds  are  raging  o'er  the  upper  ocean, 
And  billows  wild  contend  with  angry  roar, 
'Tis  said,  far  down,  beneath  the  wild  commotion, 
That  peaceful  stillness  reigneth  evermore. 

"Far,  far  beneath,  the  noise  of  tempests  dieth, 

And  silver  waves  chime  ever  peacefully; 

And  no  rude  storm,  how  fierce  soe'er  it  flieth, 

Disturbs  the  Sabbath  of  that  deeper  sea. 

"So  to  the  heart  that  knows  thy  love,  O  Purest! 

There  is  a  temple  sacred  evermore, 
And  all  the  babble  of  life's  angry  voices 
Dies  in  hushed  stillness  at  its  sacred  door. 

"Far,  far  away,  the  roar  of  passion  dieth, 

And  loving  thoughts  rise  calm  and  peacefully; 
And  no  rude  storm,  how  fierce  soe'er  it  flieth, 
Disturbs  that  deeper  rest,  O  Lord,  in  thee! 

"0  Rest  of  rests !  O  Peace  serene,  eternal ! 

Thou  ever  livest,  and  thou  changest  never; 
And  in  the  secret  of  thy  presence  dwelleth 
Fullness  of  joy,  forever  and  forever." 

It  was  inevitable  that  one  with  such  an  experi- 
ence should  be  eager  to  help  others  out  of  dark- 

249 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

ness  into  light.  Mrs.  Stowe  was  a  soul-winner 
of  the  best  type.  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps  tells  a 
beautiful  story  of  her  friend.  A  young  man  in 
whom  Mrs.  Stowe  had  long  felt  a  deep  and 
tender  interest,  had  gone  abroad  to  complete  his 
studies  at  a  German  university.  After  a  while 
intimations  came  that  he  was  drifting  into  infi- 
delity. This  prospect  filled  her  with  grief  and 
she  determined  to  do  her  utmost  to  avert  the 
calamity.  She  began  writing;  some  of  her  letters 
were  thirty  pages  in  length.  They  were  pre- 
pared with  great  care;  she  put  into  them  the 
strongest  arguments  and  appeals  that  reason  and 
love  could  suggest.  But  apparently  it  was  all  in 
vain.  "Then  she  laid  aside  her  strong  pen,  and 
turned  to  her  great  faith.  As  the  season  of  the 
sacred  holiday  approached,  she  shut  herself  into 
her  room,  secluding  herself  from  all  but  God,  and 
prayed  as  only  such  a  believer — as  only  such  a 
woman — may.  ...  A  few  weeks  after  this,  a 
letter  reached  her,  saying  only:  'At  Christmas 
time  a  light  came  to  me.  I  see  things  differently 
now.  I  see  my  way  to  accept  the  faith  of  my 
fathers;  and  the  belief  in  Christianity  which  is 
everything  to  you,  has  become  reasonable  and 
possible  to  me  at  last.' ' 


250 


MRS.  STOWE,  MRS.  HOWE 

JULIA  WARD  HOWE 

1819-1910 

"Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  glory  of  the  coming  of  the 

Lord; 
He  is  trampling  out  the  vintage  where  the  grapes  of 

wrath  are  stored; 
He  hath  loosed  the  fateful  lightning  of  his  terrible 

swift  sword: 
His  truth  is  marching  on. 

Glory!   glory!   Hallelujah!   His   truth   is 
marching  on. 

"I  have  seen  him  in  the  watch-fires  of  a  hundred 

circling  camps; 
They  have  builded  him  an  altar  in  the  evening  dews 

and  damps; 
I  can  read  his  righteous  sentence  by  the  dim  and 

flaring  lamps: 
His  day  is  marching  on. 

"I  have  read  a  fiery  gospel  writ  in  burnished  rows 

of  steel: 
'As  ye  deal  with  my  contemners,  so  with  you  my 

grace  shall  deal'; 
Let  the  Hero,  born  of  woman,  crush  the  serpent 

with  his  heel, 
Since  God  is  marching  on. 

"He  has  sounded  forth  the  trumpet  that  shall  never 

call  retreat; 

He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  his  judg- 
ment-seat : 
O  be  swift,  my  soul,  to  answer  him!   be  jubilant, 

my  feet! 

Our  God  is  marching  on. 
251 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"In  the  beauty  of  the  lilies  Christ  was  born  across 

the  sea, 
With  a  glory  in  his  bosom  that  transfigures  you 

and  me: 
As  he  died  to  make  men  holy,  let  us  die  to  make 

men  free, 
While  God  is  marching  on." 

"Mrs.  Howe  ought  to  die  now,  for  she  has  done 
the  best  that  she  will  ever  do,"  remarked  a  friend 
on  reading  the  newly  written  "Battle  Hymn  of 
the  Republic."  "I  was  not  of  this  opinion,"  was 
the  naive  comment  of  Mrs.  Howe.  But  certain 
it  is  that  long  after  the  world  has  forgotten  all 
else  that  she  did  during  her  long  and  brilliant 
career  of  ninety-one  years,  it  will  remember  that 
she  wrote  one  of  the  noblest — shall  we  say  the 
noblest? — patriotic  lyrics  that  was  ever  produced. 
And  was  not  this  a  service  to  her  country  and 
to  the  world  of  the  highest  order? 

She  was  born  in  New  York  City  on  May  27, 
1819.  She  came  of  distinguished  lineage,  her 
immediate  ancestors  on  both  sides  having  been 
famous  in  Revolutionary  annals.  She  had  the 
blood  of  heroes  in  her  veins.  Her  father,  like  the 
daughter  after  him,  had  the  courage  of  his  con- 
victions. At  a  time  when  such  reformers  were  at 
a  discount,  he  was  an  ardent  temperance  advo- 
cate, and  president  of  the  first  temperance  so- 
ciety organized  in  this  country. 

Julia  Ward  was  brought  up  in  an  atmosphere 
252 


MRS.  STOWE,  MRS.  HOWE 

of  religious  strictness.  The  family  were  Episco- 
palians, of  the  Evangelical,  or  Low  Church,  and 
so  intense  was  the  father's  devotion  to  the  teach- 
ings of  Calvinism  that  he  felt  a  positive  anguish 
when  his  own  father  died,  because  the  latter's  or- 
thodoxy at  all  of  these  points  was  not  fully  estab- 
lished. The  awful  majesty  and  severity  of  God, 
the  utter  depravity  and  worthlessness  of  man, 
"like  the  worms  which  in  the  dust  must  go,"  the 
final  saving  of  a  select  few  after  a  long  and  des- 
perate experience,  and  the  condemnation  of  the 
vast  majority  of  mankind  to  endless  burnings— 
these  were  the  doctrines  which  Julia  was  taught 
and  which  she  was  expected  to  accept  without 
hesitation  or  mental  reservation,  and  it  was 
against  such  doctrines  that  the  girl's  rising  spirit 
of  independence  stubbornly  revolted. 

On  her  marriage  to  Dr.  Howe  and  her  removal 
to  Boston  she  entered  an  entirely  different  at- 
mosphere. She  was  now  free ;  she  moved  among 
the  leaders  of  the  so-called  "Liberal  Faith."  For 
a  time  she  attended  the  preaching  of  Theodore 
Parker,  afterward  becoming  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  Disciples,  of  which  James  Free- 
man Clarke  was  pastor.  She  belonged  to  the 
Radical  Club  and  often  listened  to  speakers  of  an 
anti- Christian  type,  and  she  was  a  keen  student 
of  the  leading  philosophical  systems.  During 
these  years  she  might  easily  have  drifted  f ar-a-sea 

253 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

in  her  religious  beliefs.  That  she  did  not  is  a  trib- 
ute to  the  depth  and  genuineness  of  her  spiritual 
experience.  She  could  say:  "Nothing  of  what  I 
had  heard  or  read  had  shaken  my  faith  in  the 
leadership  of  Christ  in  the  religion  which  makes 
each  man  the  brother  of  all,  and  God  the  benef- 
icent Father  of  each  and  all — the  religion  of 
humanity."  Whenever  a  club  speaker  ventured 
to  depreciate  Christianity  it  pained  her  deeply, 
and  when  opportunity  came  she  was  quickly  on 
her  feet  in  protest.  Through  her  whole  life  she 
retained  her  simple  girlhood  faith  in  the  might 
of  Divine  Providence.  She  believed  implicitly 
in  the  presence  of  God  and  in  his  ruling  and  over- 
ruling power  among  men.  All  this  appears  very 
clearly  in  her  immortal  Battle  Hymn. 

During  her  young  womanhood  the  question  of 
slavery  was  every  day  looming  bigger.  While  in 
a  general  way  she  sympathized  with  the  black 
race,  she  regarded  with  ill-concealed  suspicion 
the  Abolitionists,  and  it  was  not  till  she  came  into 
personal  contact  with  William  Lloyd  Garrison 
and  other  leaders  that  she  found  occasion  to 
change  her  opinions.  From  that  time  on  she  was 
heart  and  soul  with  the  foes  of  slavery.  The  mili- 
tant blood  of  her  sires  leaped  in  her  veins,  and 
when  Wendell  Phillips  was  threatened  by  mobs 
she  sent  word  to  him  that  she  would  feel  proud 
to  serve  with  others  as  a  bodyguard. 

254 


MRS.  STOWE,  MRS.  HOWE 

One  day  in  the  fifties  her  husband  spoke  to  her 
in  a  mysterious  way  of  "a  very  remarkable  man, 
of  whom,  he  said,  I  should  be  sure  to  hear  sooner 
or  later,"  but  no  name  was  mentioned.  A  year 
or  so  after  he  said  to  her,  "Do  you  remember  that 
man  of  whom  I  spoke  to  you — the  one  who  wished 
to  be  a  saviour  for  the  Negro  race?  .  .  . 
That  man  will  call  here  this  afternoon.  You  will 
receive  him.  His  name  is  John  Brown."  He 
came  and  she  had  a  brief  visit  with  him.  What- 
ever Dr.  and  Mrs.  Howe  may  have  thought  of 
John  Brown's  methods  they  were  in  warm  sym- 
pathy with  his  general  purpose.  On  the  day  of 
his  execution  a  special  service  was  held  in  the 
Church  of  the  Disciples,  with  a  very  tender  and 
appropriate  sermon  by  Dr.  Clarke. 

Events  hurried  on ;  it  was  the  fall  of  1861.  The 
war  had  been  in  progress  for  six  months.  Dr. 
Howe  was  a  member  of  various  commissions,  do- 
ing his  best  to  help  forward  the  great  cause. 
What  could  Mrs.  Howe  do?  She  had  no  son  old 
enough  to  send  to  the  front ;  her  family  cares  de- 
manded much  of  the  time  she  would  gladly  have 
given  to  some  form  of  public  service.  It  was  a 
matter  of  keen  regret  to  her  that  her  own  contri- 
bution to  the  winning  of  the  war  should  be  so 
small. 

That  autumn,  in  company  with  her  husband, 
her  pastor,  and  Governor  Andrews  of  Massachu- 

255 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

setts,  a  close  personal  friend,  she  made  her  first 
visit  to  Washington.  The  city  and  its  environs 
were  crowded  with  Federal  troops  brought  there 
for  the  defense  of  the  nation's  capital.  One  day 
there  was  a  military  review  some  distance  from 
town,  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Howe  and  their  friends 
were  invited  to  drive  out  and  witness  it.  Sud- 
denly a  threatening  move  by  the  enemy  brought 
the  maneuvers  to  an  abrupt  end,  and  later  the 
soldiers  were  ordered  to  their  cantonment.  As 
the  visitors  were  slowly  making  their  way  back 
along  the  road  congested  with  troops,  they  began 
to  sing  some  of  the  army  songs  of  the  day.  When 
they  broke  out  .with,  "John  Brown's  body  lies 
a-mouldering  in  the  grave,"  the  soldiers  cheered 
them.  "Mrs.  Howe,"  said  Dr.  Clarke,  "why  do 
you  not  write  some  good  words  for  that  stirring 
tune?"  The  hour  of  her  inspiration  was  at  hand. 
In  her  Reminiscences  she  tells  us:  "I  went 
to  bed  that  night  as  usual,  and  slept,  according 
to  my  wont,  quite  soundly.  I  awoke  in  the  gray 
of  the  morning  twilight;  and  as  I  lay  waiting 
for  the  dawn,  the  long  lines  of  the  desired  poem 
began  to  twine  themselves  in  my  mind.  Having 
thought  out  all  the  stanzas,  I  said  to  myself,  'I 
must  get  up  and  write  these  verses  down,  lest 
I  fall  asleep  again  and  forget  them.'  So,  with 
a  sudden  effort,  I  sprang  out  of  bed,  and  found 
in  the  dimness  an  old  stump  of  a  pen  which  I  re- 

256 


MRS.  STOWE,  MRS.  HOWE 

membered  to  have  used  the  day  before.  I 
scrawled  the  verses  almost  without  looking  at  the 
paper.  I  had  learned  to  do  this  when,  on  previ- 
ous occasions,  attacks  of  versification  had  visited 
me  in  the  night,  and  I  feared  to  have  recourse  to 
a  light  lest  I  should  wake  the  baby,  who  slept 
with  me.  .  .  .  Having  completed  my  writing,  I 
returned  to  the  bed  and  fell  asleep,  saying  to 
myself,  'I  like  this  better  than  most  things  I  have 
written.'  " 

On  going  back  to  Boston,  she  showed  the  poem 
to  her  friend,  Mr.  James  T.  Fields,  editor  of  the 
Atlantic  Monthly.  He  accepted  it  and  paid  her 
five  dollars  for  it.  As  yet  it  had  no  name,  and  he 
suggested  "The  Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic." 
He  saw  that  it  had  merit,  but  neither  he  nor  Mrs. 
Howe  dreamed  of  the  future  in  store  for  it.  The 
poem  appeared  the  following  February,  1862, 
and  at  once  it  began  to  attract  attention. 

Its  immense  popularity,  however,  was  largely 
due  to  the  use  made  of  it  by  Chaplain  C.  C. 
McCabe,  of  the  122nd  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry. 
He  read  it  in  the  Atlantic,  and,  as  he  wrote  to 
Mrs.  Howe,  "I  was  so  charmed  with  it  that  be- 
fore I  arose  from  my  chair  I  committed  it  to 
memory."  He  was  captured  by  the  Confederates 
on  June  16,  1863,  and  sent  to  Libby  Prison, 
where  a  large  number  of  Federal  prisoners, 
chiefly  officers,  were  crowded  together.  He  had 

257 


been  there  about  two  weeks,  when  one  evening 
word  came  in  that  the  Union  forces  had  suffered 
a  terrible  defeat.  The  men  were  plunged  into 
gloom,  but  it  was  not  for  long.  A  Negro  who 
helped  to  bring  them  their  food,  whispered  to  a 
little  group  that  the  news  was  false;  there  had 
been  a  great  battle  and  the  Federals  had  won. 
In  a  moment  the  whole  crowd  were  on  their  feet 
cheering  wildly.  Then  Chaplain  McCabe,  with 
his  wonderful  baritone  voice  began  to  sing: 
"Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  glory  of  the  coming 
of  the  Lord,"  and  the  men  fairly  shouted  the 
chorus,  "Glory!  glory!  Hallelujah!"  It  was  the 
victory  of  Gettysburg. 

After  the  Chaplain's  release  he  returned  to 
Washington  and  was  present  at  a  great  meeting 
of  the  Christian  Commission.  President  Lincoln 
was  there,  and  notable  speakers  took  part.  Pres- 
ently Chaplain  McCabe  was  asked  to  describe  his 
recent  experiences  in  Richmond.  He  told  of  that 
evening  when  the  false  and  the  true  news  came, 
and  of  how  they  sang,  and  when  the  audience 
called  for  the  song  he  gave  them  the  Battle 
Hymn.  As  each  verse  rolled  out  the  excitement 
increased,  and  when  he  was  done  there  was  a 
tumult  of  applause.  Mr.  Lincoln,  with  the  tears 
streaming  down  his  face,  cried,  "Sing  it  again," 
and  again  it  was  sung.  Henceforth  it  was  a  na- 
tional hymn.  At  both  Chicago  and  Springfield 

258 


MRS.  STOWE,  MRS.  HOWE 

it  was  sung  by  Chaplain  McCabe  in  connection 
with  the  obsequies  of  President  Lincoln.  And 
it  was  eminently  fitting  that  when  the  Bishop 
himself  was  laid  to  rest  the  friends  who  gathered 
at  his  graveside  should  sing  this  same  hymn  which 
he  loved  so  well  and  which  he  had  done  so  much 
to  glorify. 

During  all  the  intervening  years  the  Battle 
Hymn — "the  terrible  Battle  Hymn  of  the  Re- 
public," as  Rudyard  Kipling  calls  it — has  been 
an  immense  favorite  throughout  America,  and 
since  the  spring  of  1917,  when  our  country  en- 
tered the  great  war,  it  has  become  almost  as 
famous  abroad,  especially  in  England,  as  at 
home.  Our  soldiers  sang  it  on  the  fields  of 
France  with  a  fervor  they  had  never  known  be- 
fore. Again  and  again  the  walls  of  stately  Eng- 
lish cathedrals  echoed  to  its  jubilant  notes,  and 
the  followers  of  the  Union  Jack  learned  to  ring 
out  its  "Glory!  glory!  Hallelujah!"  with  as  much 
gusto  as  the  most  patriotic  American.  Indeed 
the  war  has  called  striking  attention  to  the  fact 
that  this  noble  lyric  is  admirably  suited  to  world- 
wide use.  It  is  almost  as  well  fitted  to  be  the 
Battle  Hymn  of  all  nations  as  of  our  own  land. 
While  the  great  struggle  was  on,  its  militant  lines 
were  being  constantly  quoted  in  one  connection 
or  another.  On  that  memorable  Sunday,  shortly 
before  the  end  came,  when  the  Americans  and 

259 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Australians  broke  the  Hindenburg  line  above 
St.  Quentin,  Sir  Arthur  Conan  Doyle  was  a 
spectator  of  the  victorious  drive.  That  evening 
he  began  his  cabled  report  to  the  American  Press, 
thus: 

"Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  glory  of  the  coming  of 

the  Lord, 
He  is  trampling  out  the  vintage  where  the  grapes 

of  wrath  are  stored." 

"The  grand,  sonorous,  mystical  lines  of  Julia 
Ward  Howe  rang  in  my  head,  as  I  found  myself 
one  of  the  actual  witnesses  of  this,  one  of  the 
historical  episodes  of  the  greatest  of  wars." 
Without  a  doubt  the  hymn  has  found  a  new 
and  abiding  place  in  the  mind  and  heart  of  the 
world. 

The  tune  is  an  old  camp  meeting  melody 
slightly  altered,  in  use  long  before  our  Civil  War. 
It  has  been  often  criticised,  and  on  one  occasion 
during  the  recent  war,  when  the  hymn  was  being 
sung  in  Saint  Paul's  Cathedral,  London,  the  or- 
ganist refused  to  play  the  refrain,  to  the  surprise 
and  disappointment  of  the  crowd  of  Americans 
present.  Conservative  musicians  have  urged 
that  a  tune  of  greater  dignity  be  used.  But  the 
present  tune,  whatever  its  technical  defects,  has 
a  certain  military  swing  and  charm  of  melody 
which  have  given  it  a  hold  on  the  popular  taste 
which  is  not  likely  to  be  disturbed. 

260 


MRS.  STOWE,  MRS.  HOWE 

On  Wednesday,  October  5,  1910,  Mrs.  Howe, 
at  the  age  of  ninety-one,  visited  Smith  College  to 
receive  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws.  Her 
daughter  describes  the  scene:  "It  was  a  day  of 
perfect  autumn  beauty.  She  was  early  dressed  in 
her  white  dress,  with  the  college  gown  of  rich 
black  silk  over  it,  the  mortar-board  covering  in 
like  manner  her  white  lace  cap.  Thus  arrayed,  a 
wheeled  chair  conveyed  her  to  the  great  hall, 
already  packed  with  visitors  and  graduates.  .  .  . 
Opposite  the  platform,  as  if  hung  in  air,  a  curv- 
ing gallery  was  filled  with  white-clad  girls,  some 
two  thousand  of  them;  as  she  entered  they  rose 
like  a  flock  of  doves,  and  with  them  the  whole 
audience.  They  rose  once  more  when  her  name 
was  called  . . .  and  as  she  came  forward,  the  organ 
pealed,  and  the  great  chorus  of  fresh  young 
voices  broke  out  with  'Mine  eyes  have  seen  the 
glory  of  the  coming  of  the  Lord.'  It  was  the  last 
time."  Twelve  days  later  the  Lord  came,  and 
her  eyes  in  very  truth  beheld  his  glory.  On  the 
Centennial  of  her  birth,  when  speaking  of  her 
immortal  lyric,  that  eminent  British  editor,  Sir 
W.  Robertson  Nicoll,  said,  "It  was  for  this  end, 
for  the  writing  of  this  hymn,  that  Julia  Ward 
Howe  was  born  into  the  world." 


261 


CHAPTER  XVI 

PALMER,  SMITH 

RAY  PALMER 

1808-1887 

NOT  far  from  Sakonnet  Point,  where  south- 
eastern Rhode  Island  thrusts  itself  out  into  the 
Atlantic  Ocean,  lies  the  quiet  hamlet  of  Little 
Compton.  The  first  settlers  arrived  there  from 
the  north,  well  back  in  the  seventeenth  century. 
Off  a  bit  from  the  road  stands  an  old  house,  of 
the  pioneer  days  but  sturdy  as  ever ;  with  a  broad 
shingled  roof  sloping  toward  the  one-storied 
front,  trellised  windows,  and  huge  square  chim- 
ney rising  from  the  center  of  the  peak. 

Here  Ray  Palmer  was  born,  on  November  12, 
1808.  No  one  would  challenge  the  worth  of  his 
pedigree.  He  was  a  descendant  of  William  Pal- 
mer, who  came  over  to  Plymouth  in  the  ship 
"Fortune"  in  1621,  and  also  of  John  and  Priscilla 
Alden,  through  their  daughter  Elizabeth.  Not 
far  from  Ray's  birthplace  stands  the  Betty  Al- 
den house,  built  in  1680.  Judge  Palmer,  the 
boy's  father,  gave  him  a  home-education  till  he 
was  thirteen,  and  then  the  lad  started  out  on  his 
own  resources.  He  clerked  in  a  Boston  dry  goods 
store  for  two  years.  Providentially  he  was 


PALMER,  SMITH 

led  to  attend  the  Park  Street  Congregational 
Church,  where  Rev.  Sereno  E.  Dwight  was  pas- 
tor, and  where  he  was  happily  converted.  Dr. 
Dwight  saw  what  a  bright  mind  the  boy  had  and 
urged  him  to  go  to  school,  and  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble a  place  was  opened  for  him  at  the  Phillips 
Andover  Academy.  Graduating  from  there  he 
entered  Yale  in  1826,  completing  the  course  four 
years  later. 

He  at  once  went  to  New  York  and  accepted 
a  teaching  position  in  a  school  for  young  ladies 
which  stood  in  the  then  fashionable  quarter  of 
Fulton  Street,  behind  Saint  Paul's  Church. 
From  there  he  returned  to  New  Haven,  where  he 
taught  in  a  Female  Seminary.  In  the  mean- 
time he  had  been  diligently  studying  theology, 
and  in  1835  he  was  ordained  and  became  pastor 
in  Bath,  Maine.  In  thirty  years  he  held  but  two 
pulpits — fifteen  years  in  each — the  one  in  Bath 
and  the  other  in  Albany,  New  York.  Then  he 
moved  to  New  York  City  once  more,  to  become 
Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  American  Con- 
gregational Union,  and  during  the  next  twelve 
years  he  assisted  in  the  erection  of  six  hundred 
church  buildings.  In  1878,  due  to  failing  health, 
he  gave  up  this  laborious  work,  and  retired  to 
Newark,  New  Jersey.  But  he  continued  to  write, 
and  to  render  pastoral  service  as  his  strength  per- 
mitted. He  died  on  March  29,  1887. 

263 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

While  Ray  Palmer  was  eminently  useful  as  a 
pastor,  a  preacher,  and  a  secretary,  his  largest 
and  most  enduring  contribution  to  the  Kingdom 
was  in  the  writing  of  hymns.  Nor  is  it  a  fact  of 
small  interest  that  of  the  many  lyrics  which  came 
from  his  pen  the  first  was  the  best.  Dr.  Cuyler 
once  said  of  "My  faith  looks  up  to  thee,"  that  it 
was  "by  far  the  most  precious  contribution  which 
American  genius  has  yet  made  to  the  hymnology 
of  the  Christian  Church."  With  but  few  dissent- 
ing voices  this  has  been  the  verdict  among 
hymn-lovers  not  only  in  this  country  but  the 
world  over. 

It  was  written  when  the  author  was  only 
twenty-two,  and  he  has  given  us  an  interesting 
account  of  how  he  came  to  do  it.  "Immediately 
after  graduating  at  Yale  College,  in  September, 
1830,  the  writer  went  to  the  City  of  New  York 
to  spend  a  year  in  teaching  in  a  select  school  for 
young  ladies.  This  private  institution,  which  was 
patronized  by  the  best  class  of  families,  was  un- 
der the  direction  of  an  excellent  Christian  lady 
connected  with  Saint  George's  Church.  .  .  .  The 
writer  resided  in  the  family  of  the  lady  who  kept 
the  school,  and  it  was  there  that  the  hymn  was 
written.  It  had  no  external  occasion  what- 
ever. Having  been  accustomed  from  childhood, 
through  an  inherited  propensity  perhaps,  to  the 
occasional  expression  of  what  his  heart  felt,  in 

264 


PALMER,  SMITH 

the  form  of  verse,  it  was  in  accordance  with  this 
habit,  and  in  an  hour  when  Christ,  in  the  riches 
of  his  grace  and  love,  was  so  vividly  apprehended 
as  to  fill  the  soul  with  deep  emotion,  that  the  lines 
were  composed.  There  was  not  the  slightest 
thought  of  writing  for  another  eye,  least  of  all 
writing  a  hymn  for  Christian  worship.  Away 
from  outward  excitement,  in  the  quiet  of  his 
chamber,  and  with  a  deep  consciousness  of  his 
own  needs,  the  writer  transferred  as  faithfully  as 
he  could  to  paper  what  at  the  time  was  passing 
within  him.  Six  stanzas  were  composed  and  im- 
perfectly written,  first  on  a  loose  sheet,  and  then 
accurately  copied  into  a  small  morocco-covered 
book,  which  for  such  purposes  the  author  was  ac- 
customed to  carry  in  his  pocket.  This  first  com- 
plete copy  is  still  [1875]  preserved.  It  is  well 
remembered  that  when  writing  the  last  line,  'A 
ransomed  soul,'  the  thought  that  the  whole  work 
of  redemption  and  salvation  was  involved  in  those 
words,  and  suggested  the  theme  of  eternal  praises, 
moved  the  writer  to  a  degree  of  emotion  that 
brought  abundant  tears." 

"A  year  or  two  after  the  hymn  was  written, 
and  when  no  one,  so  far  as  can  be  recollected, 
had  ever  seen  it,  Dr.  Lowell  Mason  met  the 
author  in  the  street  in  Boston,  and  requested  him 
to  furnish  some  hymns  for  a  Hymn  and  Tune 
Book,  which,  in  connection  with  Dr.  Hastings  of 

265 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

New  York,  he  was  about  to  publish.  The  little 
book  containing  the  hymn  was  shown  him,  and  he 
asked  for  a  copy.  We  stepped  into  a  store  to- 
gether, and  a  copy  was  made  and  given  to  him, 
which,  without  much  notice,  he  put  in  his  pocket. 
On  sitting  down  at  home  and  looking  it  over,  he 
became  so  much  interested  in  it  that  he  wrote  for 
it  the  tune  'Olivet,'  in  which  it  has  almost  uni- 
versally been  sung.  Two  or  three  days  after- 
ward we  met  again  in  the  street,  when,  scarcely 
waiting  to  salute  the  writer,  he  earnestly  ex- 
claimed: 'Mr.  Palmer,  you  may  live  many  years 
and  do  many  good  things,  but  I  think  you  will  be 
best  known  to  posterity  as  the  author  of  "My 
faith  looks  up  to  Thee!"  '  " 

This     matchless  lyric  cannot  be  quoted  too 
often : 

"My  faith  looks  up  to  thee, 
Thou  Lamb  of  Calvary, 

Saviour  divine! 
Now  hear  me  while  I  pray, 
Take  all  my  guilt  away, 
O  let  me  from  this  day 
Be  wholly  thine! 

"May  thy  rich  grace  impart 
Strength  to  my  fainting  heart, 

My  zeal  inspire; 
As  thou  hast  died  for  me, 
O  may  my  love  to  thee 
Pure,  warm,  and  changeless  be, 
A  living  fire. 
266 


%'j  oJ\x  oil    /^ 


fit- 


G.  {A 


«fsa. 


PALMER,  SMITH 

"While  life's  dark  maze  I  tread, 
And  griefs  around  me  spread, 

Be  thou  my  guide; 
Bid  darkness  turn  to  day, 
Wipe  sorrow's  tears  away, 
Nor  let  me  ever  stray 
From  thee  aside. 

"When  ends  life's  transient  dream, 
When  death's  cold,  sullen  stream 

Shall  o'er  me  roll; 
Blest  Saviour,  then,  in  love, 
Fear  and  distrust  remove; 
O  bear  me  safe  above, 
A  ransomed  soul.'* 

After  its  first  appearance,  in  Spiritual  Songs, 
in  1832,  it  quickly  came  into  use  in  America;  it 
also  soon  found  its  way  into  English  and  Scotch 
hymnals.  No  lyric  of  American  origin  has  been 
translated  into  so  many  languages,  none  has  been 
included  in  so  many  hymn  books  and  so  widely 
sung,  none  has  evoked  such  words  of  praise  and 
appreciation.  It  is  not  an  accident  that  it  was 
written  in  the  first  person  singular.  It  was  the 
prayer  of  one  who  had  entered  "the  secret 
place  of  the  Most  High,"  the  outpouring  of  a 
soul  to  the  Lamb  of  God.  We  are  thankful  that 
this  sublime  effusion  has  come  into  our  possession, 
but  had  it  been  intended  for  the  public  eye  it 
could  never  have  been  written. 

Truly  could  the  author  sing  of  "My  Faith," 
267 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

for  it  was  "his,  a  simple,  childlike  trust  in  God, 
which  never  failed  him  to  the  end  of  his  days. 
He  had  what  Jonathan  Edwards  has  called  "a 
calm  rapture."  Dr.  William  M.  Taylor,  his  in- 
timate friend,  has  said:  "In  all  my  intercourse 
with  him,  I  cannot  recall  an  occasion  on  which 
I  found  him  depressed.  He  had  his  trials,  some 
of  them  sore  and  heavy,  but  they  did  not  destroy 
his  happiness.  And  this  cheerfulness  rooted  in 
his  faith.  He  used  to  say,  'We  must  not  carry 
burdens.'  God  was  his  great  burden-bearer,  and 
so  the  peace  of  God  filled  his  heart." 

We  notice  in  this  general  connection  a  striking 
parallelism:  Two  young  men,  Ray  Palmer  and 
Samuel  F.  Smith,  born  in  the  same  year;  both 
graduate  from  college;  both  enter  the  Christian 
ministry;  each  writes  his  most  famous  hymn  at 
the  beginning  of  his  career;  both  hymns,  "My 
faith  looks  up  to  Thee"  and  "My  country,  'tis  of 
thee,"  written  in  the  same  meter,  are  given  to  the 
world  in  the  same  year,  1832;  both  men  live  to  a 
ripe  age,  and  they  are  recognized  to-day  as  prob- 
ably the  two  greatest  hymnists  that  America  has 
produced. 

Several  of  Dr.  Palmer's  best  hymns  are  trans- 
lations from  Latin  originals,  but  so  admirably 
has  the  work  been  done  that  every  line  bears  the 
impress  of  the  rich  personality  of  the  translator. 
In  the  hymn  beginning, 

268 


PALMER,  SMITH 

"Jesus,  thou  Joy  of  loving  hearts! 

Thou  Fount  of  life!   thou  Light  of  men! 
From  the  best  bliss  that  earth  imparts, 
We  turn  unfilled  to  thee  again," 

we  have  an  English  rendering  of  several  stan- 
zas of  the  famous  hymn,  "Jesu,  dulcis  memoria," 
written  by  Saint  Bernard  of  Clairvaux  in  the 
twelfth  century.  These  lines  beautifully  reveal 
the  spirit  of  Dr.  Palmer.  His  whole  life,  his 
thinking,  his  preaching,  his  writing,  his  soul's 
affections,  centered  in  Christ,  who  to  him  was 
very  God.  This  was  why,  all  through  his  min- 
istry, he  made  so  much  of  the  Sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper.  It  held  a  large  place  in  his  own 
spiritual  experience  and  he  constantly  magnified 
it  when  dealing  with  others.  While  pastor  in 
Albany,  in  speaking  of  Jesus,  he  said:  "At  the 
sacramental  table  I  may  meet  him,  if  my  heart 
is  ready  to  receive  so  divine  a  guest.  When  the 
cares  and  the  business  of  life  have  hurried  me 
hither  and  thither  with  no  little  distraction  of 
mind,  I  love  to  come  back  again,  and  sit  down 
before  the  cross,  and  gaze  on  the  blessed  Sufferer 
with  silent,  tender  memories.  It  is  like  coming 
once  more  into  the  sunshine  after  long  walking 
through  gloom  and  mist."  Some  of  his  most 
beautiful  and  best  loved  hymns  were  composed 
for  use  at  the  communion  season.  One  in  par- 
ticular, though  from  the  Latin  of  an  earlier 

269 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

period,  shows  the  spirit  and  the  genius  of  the 
translator : 

"O  Bread  to  pilgrims  given, 

O  Food  that  angels  eat, 
O  Manna  sent  from  heaven, 

For  heaven-born  natures  meet! 
Give  us,  for  thee  long  pining, 

To  eat  till  richly  filled; 
Till,  earth's  delights  resigning, 

Our  every  wish  is  stilled. 

"O  Fount  of  love  redeeming, 

Forth  from  the  Saviour's  heart 
In  mercy  purely  streaming, 

A  Fount  of  life  thou  art: 
O  let  us,  freely  tasting, 

Our  burning  thirst  assuage; 
Thy  sweetness,  never  wasting, 

Avails  from  age  to  age. 

"Jesus,  this  feast  receiving, 

We  thee  unseen  adore; 
Thy  faithful  word  believing, 

We  take,  and  doubt  no  more: 
Give  us,  thou  True  and  Loving, 

On  earth  to  live  in  thee; 
Then,  death  the  veil  removing, 

Thy  glorious  face  to  see." 

Dr.  Palmer  used  to  say  that  he  could  never 
compose  a  hymn  to  order;  he  must  write  as  the 
Spirit  moved  him.  The  making  of  hymns  was 
more  than  a  mere  literary  task;  it  was  a  definite 
part  of  the  King's  business.  This  was  why  he 

270 


PALMER,  SMITH 

uniformly  declined  any  remuneration  for  his 
hymns;  the  product  of  divine  inspiration  might 
be  given  away  but  never  sold.  One  hard  and 
fast  condition,  however,  accompanied  all  such 
gifts — what  he  had  written  he  had  written,  there 
must  be  no  tampering  with  the  text,  for  "this," 
he  solemnly  declared,  he  could  not  "but  feel  to  be 
an  immorality  which  no  Christian  man  should  be 
willing  to  commit."  We  are  glad  that  he  made 
the  condition.  Think  of  meddling  with  such  lines 
as  these,  translated  from  a  mediseval  hymn  1 

"Come,  Holy  Ghost,  in  love 
Shed  on  us  from  above 

Thine  own  bright  ray! 
Divinely  good  thou  art; 
Thy  sacred  gifts  impart 
To  gladden  each  sad  heart: 

O  come  to-day!" 

When  Ray  Palmer  was  a  young  man  and  the 
sterner  theology  of  the  fathers  was  still  current, 
a  multitude  of  hymns  of  the  "alarming"  type, 
lurid  in  thought  and  language,  were  being  sung 
and  were  in  high  repute.  Dr.  Palmer  never 
wrote  anything  of  this  kind,  and  yet  he  was  a 
tireless  and  successful  winner  of  souls.  His  poet- 
ical appeals  lost  nothing  in  fervor  because  of 
their  sweet  persuasiveness ;  they  were  not  lacking 
in  solemn  intensity,  but  they  drew  "with  cords  of 
a  man,  with  bands  of  love."  While  pastor  in  Al- 

271 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

bany  he  wrote  a  hymn  with  the  simple  title,  "Take 
Me,"  based  on  the  Parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son. 
It  met  with  immediate  favor,  and  has  been  widely 
used  ever  since.  The  author  received  many  mes- 
sages of  gratitude  from  those  who  had  been 
blessed  by  it. 

"Take  me,  O  my  Father,  take  me; 

Take  me,  save  me,  through  thy  Son; 
That  which  thou  wouldst  have  me,  make  me, 

Let  thy  will  in  me  be  done. 
Long  from  thee  my  footsteps  straying, 

Thorny  proved  the  way  I  trod; 
Weary  come  I  now,  and  praying, 

Take  me  to  thy  love,  my  God. 

"Fruitless  years  with  grief  recalling, 

Humbly  I  confess  my  sin; 
At  thy  feet,  O  Father,  falling, 

To  thy  household  take  me  in. 
Freely  now  to  thee  I  proffer 

This  relenting  heart  of  mine; 
Freely  life  and  soul  I  offer, 

Gift  unworthy  love  like  thine. 

"Once  the  world's  Redeemer,  dying, 

Bore  our  sins  upon  the  tree; 
On  that  sacrifice  relying, 

Now  I  look  in  hope  to  thee: 
Father,  take  me;  all  forgiving, 

Fold  me  to  thy  loving  breast; 
In  thy  love  forever  living 

I  must  be  forever  blest." 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  Dr.  Pal- 
mer's passionate  devotion  to  the  Master.     It  is 

272 


PALMER,  SMITH 

seen  in  one  of  the  noblest  hymns  he  ever  com- 
posed, indeed,  the  one  that  he  himself  preferred 
to  all  others.  It  was  written  during  his  Albany 
pastorate  and  was  suggested  by  the  words  of 
Peter,  "Jesus  Christ,  whom  having  not  seen  ye 
love."  It  was  the  product  of  a  sudden  impulse. 
He  was  preparing  a  sermon  on  Christ,  his  favor- 
ite theme.  Needing  a  certain  book,  he  turned 
to  the  case  and  on  opening  the  door,  to  his  sur- 
prise, the  first  thing  that  his  eye  fell  upon  was 
the  desired  volume.  Instantly  the  thought 
flashed  through  his  mind  that  thus  the  face  of 
Jesus  would  some  day  be  unveiled  to  him.  His 
feeling  was  so  intense  that  he  could  think  of 
nothing  else.  For  the  time  the  sermon  was  for- 
gotten, and  with  throbbing  heart,  under  the  in- 
spiration of  an  exultant  hope,  he  wrote  these 
rarely  beautiful  stanzas: 

"Jesus,  these  eyes  have  never  seen 

That  radiant  form  of  thine; 
The  veil  of  sense  hangs  dark  between 
Thy  blessed  face  and  mine. 

"I  see  thee  not,  I  hear  thee  not, 

Yet  art  thou  oft  with  me; 
And  earth  hath  ne'er  so  dear  a  spot 
As  where  I  meet  with  thee. 

"Like  some  bright  dream  that  comes  unsought, 

When  slumbers  o'er  me  roll, 
Thine  image  ever  fills  my  thought, 
And  charms  my  ravished  soul. 
273 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"Yet  though  I  have  not  seen,  and  still 

Must  rest  in  faith  alone; 
I  love  thee,  dearest  Lord,  and  will, 
Unseen,  but  not  unknown. 

"When  death  these  mortal  eyes  shall  seal, 

And  still  this  throbbing  heart, 
The  rending  veil  shall  thee  reveal, 
All  glorious  as  thou  art." 

In  spite  of  failing  health,  Dr.  Palmer's  declin- 
ing years  were  full  of  joy  and  contentment.  His 
was  a  serene  and  lovable  old  age.  He  was  widely 
known  and  everywhere  men  held  him  in  honor  and 
affection.  He  was  the  soul  of  modesty.  Dr. 
Taylor  says  that  "he  never  thrust  himself  for- 
ward and  when  others  tried  to  do  that  for  him,  he 
pulled  back  with  all  his  might.  It  was  almost 
amusing  to  see  how,  while  he  was  sitting  behind 
others  on  a  platform,  and  the  speaker  quoted 
or  referred  to  one  of  his  hymns,  making  some 
grateful  or  pleasant  remark  about  its  author,  he 
would  blush  like  a  schoolgirl,  and  hide  his  face 
with  his  uplifted  hand."  Wherever  he  went  he 
was  a  welcome  visitor.  Several  times  he  preached 
for  Dr.  Cuyler,  in  the  Lafayette  Avenue  Pres- 
byterian Church,  Brooklyn.  "He  was  once  with 
us  on  a  sacramental  Sabbath.  While  the  dea- 
cons were  passing  the  sacred  elements  among  the 
congregation  the  dear  old  man  broke  out  in  a 
tremulous  voice  and  sang  his  own  heavenly  lines : 

274. 


PALMER,  SMITH 

"  'My  faith  looks  up  to  thee, 
Thou  Lamb  of  Calvary, 
Saviour  divine.' 

It  was  like  listening  to  a  rehearsal  for  the  celestial 
choir,  and  the  whole  assembly  was  most  deeply 
moved." 

His  fondness  for  hymns,  especially  those  which 
sang  of  Jesus,  grew  to  the  very  end  of  his  life. 
As  death  drew  near,  he  lay  with  his  eyes  closed, 
apparently  unconscious.  Presently  the  loving 
watchers  at  the  bedside  noticed  that  his  lips  were 
moving.  Bending  low  to  catch  the  faintest  ut- 
terance, they  heard  him  in  broken,  almost  in- 
articulate syllables,  repeating  those  blessed 
lines: 

"When  death  these  mortal  eyes  shall  seal, 

And  still  this  throbbing  heart, 
The  rending  veil  shall  thee  reveal, 
All  glorious  as  thou  art." 

The  words  died  away,  unfinished,  as  he  beheld 
his  Master,  face  to  face. 

SAMUEL  FRANCIS  SMITH 

1808-1895 

"And  there's  a  nice  youngster  of  excellent  pith — 
Fate  tried  to  conceal  him  by  naming  him  Smith; 
But  he  shouted  a  song  for  the  brave  and  the  free — 
Just  read  on  his  medal,  'my  country,'  'of  thee'!" 

To  have  composed  the  national  hymn  for  a 
great  people  is  such  an  extraordinary  achieve- 

275 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

ment  that  no  wonder  it  overshadows  all  else  that 
the  author  did.  Everybody  knows  that  Samuel 
F.  Smith  wrote  "My  country,  'tis  of  thee,"  but 
they  do  not  all  know  that  he  contributed  nearly 
one  hundred  and  fifty  other  poems  to  American 
hymnody,  and  that  some  of  these  are  in  world- 
wide use. 

He  began  life  in  a  musical  atmosphere.  "I 
count  it  to  have  been  a  happy  lot,"  he  once  said, 
"that  I  was  born  under  the  sound  of  the  Old 
North  Church  chimes,  in  Boston."  And  he  goes 
on  to  tell  us  that  "a  strong  poetical  bias"  took 
hold  of  him  when  a  boy  of  eight  years.  "An 
'Elegy  on  a  Cat,'  then  written,  disappeared  long 
since,  as  well  as  the  cat,"  but  four  years  later  he 
wrote  a  poem  that  was  published.  During  the 
schooldays  that  followed,  his  poetical  productions 
brought  him  frequent  honors. 

It  is  interesting  to  remember  that  his  two  best- 
known  hymns,  "My  country,  'tis  of  thee,"  and 
"The  morning  light  is  breaking,"  were  both  writ- 
ten when  he  was  only  twenty-four  years  of  age. 
It  was  in  the  winter  of  1832,  while  Mr.  Smith  was 
a  student  at  the  Andover  Theological  Seminary. 
His  friend,  Lowell  Mason,  was  busily  engaged 
at  the  time  in  an  effort  to  improve  the  choral 
music  in  the  Boston  churches,  and  in  order  to 
raise  up  a  body  of  trained  singers  he  was  con- 
ducting a  Saturday  afternoon  singing  school  for 

276 


PALMER,  SMITH 

children.  He  had  just  received  a  collection  of 
song  books  from  Europe,  but  being  in  a  tongue 
which  he  did  not  understand,  he  passed  them  on 
to  Mr.  Smith,  with  the  request  that  he  examine 
them,  and  if  he  found  any  songs  suited  to  children, 
that  he  render  them  into  English;  "or,"  said  Mr. 
Mason,  "if  you  prefer,  compose  hymns  or  songs 
of  your  own,  of  the  same  meter  and  accent,  so 
that  I  can  use  them.'* 

"One  dismal  day  in  February,"  so  Dr.  Smith 
used  to  tell  the  story,  "about  half  an  hour  be- 
fore sunset,  I  was  turning  over  the  leaves  of  one 
of  the  music  books  when  my  eye  rested  on  the 
tune  which  is  now  known  as  'America.'  I  liked 
the  spirited  movement  of  it,  not  knowing  it,  at 
that  time,  to  be  'God  save  the  King/  I  glanced 
at  the  words  and  saw  that  they  were  patriotic, 
and  instantly  felt  the  impulse  to  write  a  patriotic 
hymn  of  my  own,  adapted  to  the  tune.  Picking 
up  a  scrap  of  waste  paper  which  lay  near  me, 
I  wrote  at  once,  probably  within  half  an  hour,  the 
hymn  'America'  as  it  is  now  known  everywhere. 
The  whole  hymn  stands  to-day  as  it  stood  on  the 
bit  of  waste  paper,  five  or  six  inches  long  and 
two  and  a  half  wide.  I  gave  the  song  soon  after- 
ward to  Mr.  Mason,  together  with  others,  and 
thought  no  more  of  it.  I  was  surprised  on  the 
following  Fourth  of  July  to  find  that  Mr.  Mason 
had  brought  it  out  at  a  children's  celebration  of 

277 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

the  day,  in  a  crowded  assembly  in  Park  Street 
Church  in  Boston.  It  was  sung  with  enthusiasm. 
Through  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Mason,  singing  was 
introduced  into  the  Boston  public  schools;  and, 
with  the  introduction  of  singing,  came  naturally 
the  use  of  this  hymn.  ...  I  began  very  soon  to 
hear  of  the  hymn  as  being  sung  in  numerous 
schools,  at  patriotic  gatherings,  at  picnics,  from 
Maine  to  Texas.  The  people  took  it  into  their 
hearts.  It  found  a  place  in  the  hymn  books  of 
the  various  denominations.  The  scenes  connected 
with  the  Civil  War  called  it  into  universal  requisi- 
tion." 

Late  in  life  Dr.  Smith  said,  in  reply  to  an  in- 
quiry: "I  have  heard  'America'  sung  half  way 
round  the  world.  I  have  heard  it  on  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,  on  the  Baltic  Sea,  and  on  the  Mediter- 
ranean; in  London,  Liverpool,  Stockholm,  Co- 
penhagen, Paris,  Rome,  Naples,  in  the  baths  at 
Pompeii,  in  Athens,  Calcutta,  and  Rangoon.  On 
the  earth  I  have  heard  it  on  Pike's  Peak,  and 
under  the  earth  in  the  caverns  at  Manitou,  Col- 
orado, where  it  was  played  on  the  stalactites." 
No  tributes  to  the  author  of  "America"  were 
more  wholesouled  than  those  from  Oliver  Wen- 
dell Holmes.  As  is  well  known,  the  two  men 
were  both  members  of  the  famous  Harvard  Class 
of  1829,  and  the  familiar  lines  at  the  head  of  this 
chapter,  from  the  class  poem  which  Holmes  read 

278 


PALMER,  SMITH 

at  the  thirtieth  anniversary,  are  but  one  of  the 
many  admiring  references  which  he  made  through 
the  years  to  the  genius  of  his  classmate.  More 
than  once  he  commented  on  the  great  strength 
that  the  opening  lines  gained  from  the  use  of  the 
pronoun  "My"  rather  than  "Our" — with  every 
singer  the  ascription  is  distinctly  personal.  The 
fact  that  "America"  was  sung  by  so  many  mil- 
lions especially  appealed  to  Holmes,  and  on  one 
occasion,  in  a  characteristically  generous  outburst 
of  appreciation,  he  exclaimed  to  his  friend,  "Your 
name  and  fame  will  live  when  I  and  my  works 
are  forgotten." 

It  is  not  surprising  that  amid  the  chorus  of 
praise  there  has  been  some  vigorous  dissent. 
"America"  has  been  criticised  as  not  being  "truly 
national."  "Rocks  and  rills"  and  "templed  hills" 
suit  New  England,  but  nothing  is  said  of  the  roll- 
ing prairies  of  the  great  West.  In  his  annota- 
tions on  the  Episcopal  Hymn  Book,  Dr.  Bodine 
intimates  that  this  was  one  reason  why  Dr. 
Smith's  hymn,  as  generally  used,  was  not  in- 
cluded in  that  collection,  "for  ours  is  a  national 
church."  "Land  of  the  pilgrim's  pride"  is  ob- 
jected to  as  introducing  a  sectarian  bias,  while 
"My  native  country,  thee"  unfits  the  hymn  to  be 
sung  by  the  multitudes  from  other  lands.  It 
must  also  be  admitted  that  some  of  the  lines  are 
not  above  criticism  from  a  literary  point  of  view. 

279 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

But  after  all  has  been  said,  the  fact  remains  that 
for  fourscore  years  "America"  has  held  the  su- 
preme place  as  our  national  hymn,  and  as  yet  no 
serious  rival  has  made  its  appearance.  Breath- 
ing the  loftiest  patriotism,  "one  hundred  per  cent 
American,"  surcharged  with  love  for  country  and 
trust  in  God,  this  hymn  merits  the  hold  which  it 
has  upon  the  affections  of  the  great  mass  of  the 
people. 

Dr.  Smith  was  born  in  1808,  two  years  after 
the  famous  "Haystack  Meeting"  at  Williams 
College,  which  marked  the  birth  of  the  modern 
missionary  movement  in  America.  In  the  dec- 
ades that  immediately  followed,  there  sprang  up 
an  urgent  demand  for  missionary  hymns,  but 
while  many  were  written  few  have  survived.  The 
most  notable  one  among  them  came  from  the  pen 
of  Samuel  F.  Smith.  It  appeared  in  1832,  the 
same  year  as  "America."  The  young  man  of 
twenty-four  was  a  student  in  the  theological  sem- 
inary, preparing  for  the  Baptist  ministry.  The 
spirit  of  the  times  had  laid  hold  of  him,  and  he 
was  aflame  with  missionary  zeal.  Though  cir- 
cumstances afterward  prevented,  he  was  plan- 
ning to  go  to  the  foreign  field.  During  his  senior 
year  at  Andover,  reports  began  to  arrive  of  the 
movement  toward  Christianity  in  Burmah  under 
Adoniram  Judson,  the  famous  Baptist  mission- 
ary. After  years  of  untold  suffering  and  dis- 

280 


PALMER,  SMITH 

couragement,  Judson  wrote  that  the  light  was 
breaking  and  hundreds  were  accepting  Christ. 
Smith  was  exultant;  he  felt  that  the  universal 
triumph  of  the  Cross  was  drawing  near,  and  with 
eager  optimism  he  wrote  this  noble  hymn: 

"The  morning  light  is  breaking, 

The  darkness  disappears; 
The  sons  of  earth  are  waking 

To  penitential  tears: 
Each  breeze  that  sweeps  the  ocean 

Brings  tidings  from  afar, 
Of  nations  in  commotion, 

Prepared  for  Zion's  war. 

"See  heathen  nations  bending 

Before  the  God  we  love, 
And  thousand  hearts  ascending 

In  gratitude  above: 
While  sinners,  now  confessing, 

The  gospel  call  obey, 
And  seek  the  Saviour's  blessing, 

A  nation  in  a  day. 

"Blest  river  of  salvation, 

Pursue  thy  onward  way; 
Flow  thou  to  every  nation, 

Nor  in  thy  richness  stay: 
Stay  not  till  all  the  lowly 

Triumphant  reach  their  home; 
Stay  not  till  all  the  holy 

Proclaim,  'The  Lord  is  come.' ' 

This  ranks  with  Heber's  "From  Greenland's 
icy  mountains"  as  one  of  the  greatest  of  mission- 
ary lyrics.  It  has  been  translated  into  many 

281 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

languages  and  is  sung  around  the  world.  While 
it  is  the  best,  it  is  only  one  among  several  fine 
hymns  on  this  subject  from  the  same  pen. 

Shortly  before  leaving  the  seminary,  Mr. 
Smith  wrote  "The  Missionary's  Farewell," 
which  at  once  became  very  popular,  and  during 
the  next  fifty  years  was  probably  sung  on  more 
farewell  occasions  than  any  other  hymn.  When 
we  remember  what  it  meant  to  go  to  the  foreign 
field  nearly  one  hundred  years  ago,  the  months 
at  sea,  the  numberless  perils,  the  grave  uncer- 
tainty of  ever  seeing  one's  native  land  again,  we 
can  the  more  readily  appreciate  the  intensity  of 
these  lines: 

"Yes,  my  native  land,  I  love  thee; 

All  thy  scenes,  I  love  them  well; 
Friends,  connections,  happy  country, 
Can  I  bid  you  all  farewell? 

Can  I  leave  you, 
Far  in  heathen  lands  to  dwell? 

"Bear  me  on,  thou  restless  ocean; 

Let  the  winds  my  canvas  swell; 
Heaves  my  heart  with  warm  emotion, 
While  I  go  far  hence  to  dwell. 

Glad,  I  bid  thee, 
Native  land,  farewell!  farewell!" 

It  is  interesting  to  know  that  though  Dr. 
Smith  was  never  able  to  gratify  his  early  desire 
to  enter  the  foreign  field,  he  gave  a  son  to  the 
work,  who  for  many  years  was  a  distinguished 

282 


PALMER,  SMITH 

leader  in  Burmah.  The  father  himself  was  a  life- 
long student  of  missions ;  he  wrote  extensively  on 
the  subject,  and  he  visited  the  principal  mission 
countries. 

The  months  just  preceding  and  immediately 
following  his  graduation  from  the  seminary  were 
remarkably  prolific  in  the  number  of  well-known 
hymns  which  this  young  theologue  produced.  Be- 
sides those  already  mentioned,  we  have  that  beau- 
tiful evening  hymn: 

"Softly  fades  the  twilight  ray 
Of  the  holy  Sabbath  day; 
Gently  as  life's  setting  sun, 
When  the  Christian's  course  is  run. 

"Peace  is  on  the  world  abroad, 
'Tis  the  holy  peace  of  God, 
Symbol  of  the  peace  within 
When  the  spirit  rests  from  sin. 


"Saviour,  may  our  Sabbaths  be 
Days  of  joy  and  peace  in  thee, 
Till  in  heaven  our  souls  repose, 
Where  the  Sabbath  ne'er  shall  close." 

About  this  same  time  he  composed  the  hymn, 
which,  as  altered  by  Thomas  Hastings,  has  been 
a  favorite  in  evangelistic  services  ever  since: 

"To-day  the  Saviour  calls : 

Ye  wanderers,  come; 
O  ye  benighted  souls, 
Why  longer  roam?" 
283 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

To  the  year  1833  belong  those  lines  written  on 
the  death  of  a  young  lady  friend,  which  used  to 
be  sung  or  quoted  at  so  many  funerals: 

"Sister,  thou  wast  mild  and  lovely, 

Gentle  as  the  summer  breeze, 
Pleasant  as  the  air  of  evening, 
When  it  floats  among  the  tre,es." 

It  is  not  surprising  that  Mr.  Smith's  gifts  were 
early  recognized  and  that  compilers  eagerly 
sought  his  hymns  for  their  collections.  In  1843, 
assisted  by  Dr.  Baron  Stow,  he  published  The 
Psalmist,  in  which  twenty-six  of  the  hymns  were 
from  his  own  pen.  For  half  a  century  this  was 
regarded  as  the  best  collection  among  the  Bap- 
tists. Dr.  Smith  continued  to  write  to  the  end 
of  his  long  life.  In  1894,  only  a  year  before  his 
death,  when  eighty-six  years  old,  he  composed 
a  hymn  on  the  church,  which  holds  a  high  place : 

"Founded  on  thee,  our  only  Lord, 
On  thee,  the  everlasting  Rock, 
Thy  church  shall  stand  as  stands  thy  word, 
Nor  fear  the  storm,  nor  dread  the  shock. 

"For  thee  our  waiting  spirits  yearn, 

For  thee  this  house  of  praise  we  rear; 
To  thee  with  longing  hearts  we  turn; 
Come,  fix  thy  glorious  presence  here. 

"Come,  with  thy  Spirit  and  thy  power, 
The  Conqueror,  once  the  Crucified; 
Our  God,  our  Strength,  our  King,  our  Tower, 
Here  plant  thy  throne,  and  here  abide. 
284 


PALMER,  SMITH 

"Accept  the  work  our  hands  have  wrought; 

Accept,  O  God,  this  earthly  shrine; 
Be  thou  our  Rock,  our  Life,  our  Thought, 
And  we,  as  living  temples,  thine." 

The  aged  poet  died  very  suddenly  on  Satur- 
day, November  16,  1895,  just  as  he  was  leaving 
Boston  to  meet  a  preaching  engagement  for  the 
following  day. 


285 


CHAPTER  XVII 

W.  H.  FURNESS,  WARE,  BURLEIGH, 
BULFINCH 

WILLIAM  HENRY  FURNESS 

1802-1896 

THE  remarkable  life  of  Rev.  William  Henry 
Furness,  D.D.,  almost  spanned  the  nineteenth 
century.  He  was  born  in  Boston  in  1802,  and 
died  in  Philadelphia  in  1896.  Graduating  from 
Harvard  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  finishing  his 
theological  course  three  years  later,  he  became 
pastor  of  the  first  Unitarian  Church  in  Phila- 
delphia in  1825.  Here  he  continued  in  full  serv- 
ice, loved  and  revered,  till  1875,  a  pastorate  with 
few  parallels  in  American  history.  He  was  a 
prominent  and  earnest  advocate  of  various  re- 
form movements,  an  accomplished  scholar,  and 
a  voluminous  author. 

He  wrote  a  number  of  hymns,  but  while  they 
all  reach  a  high  level  of  literary  excellence,  and 
are  found  in  Unitarian  collections  at  home  and 
in  England,  few  of  them  have  passed  into  more 
general  use.  One  of  the  best  is  a  morning  hymn, 
all  the  more  valuable  because  songs  for  the  open- 
ing of  the  day  are  not  as  common  as  for  the  close. 
This  one  was  written  by  Dr.  Furness  in  1840: 

286 


W.  H.  FURNESS,  HENRY  WARE,  JR. 

"In  the  morning  I  will  raise 
To  my  God  the  voice  of  praise; 
With  his  kind  protection  blest, 
Sweet  and  deep  has  been  my  rest. 

"In  the  morning  I  will  pray 
For  his  blessing  on  the  day; 
What  this  day  shall  be  my  lot, 
Light  or  darkness,  know  I  not. 

"Should  it  be  with  clouds  o'ercast, 
Clouds  of  sorrow  gathering  fast, 
Thou,  who  givest  light  divine, 
Shine  within  me,  Lord,  O  shine. 

"Show  me,  if  I  tempted  be, 
How  to  find  all  strength  in  thee, 
And  a  perfect  triumph  win 
Over  every  bosom  sin. 

"Keep  my  feet  from  secret  snares, 
Keep  my  eyes,  O  God,  from  tears, 
Every  step  thy  grace  attend, 
And  my  soul  from  death  defend. 

"Then,  when  fall  the  shades  of  night, 
All  within  shall  still  be  light; 
Thou  wilt  peace  around  diffuse, 
Gently  as  the  evening  dews." 

HENRY  WARE,  JR. 

1794-1843 

American  hymnody  is  indebted  for  many  of 
its  choicest  contributions  to  a  group  of  New  Eng- 
land Unitarians.  It  has  often  been  remarked 
that  in  hymns,  especially  those  of  a  high  order, 

287 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

differences  of  creed  are  rarely  noticeable.  Hosts 
of  ardent  Protestants  joyfully  sing  the  words  of 
Newman  and  Faber  and  other  Roman  Catholic 
writers,  often  in  entire  ignorance  as  to  whence 
the  songs  came.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  the 
Unitarian,  more  than  once  spoke  of  his  delight  in 
Watts  and  Wesley;  and  in  the  average  Trin- 
itarian audience,  it  is  doubtful  if  one  in  a  hundred 
realizes  that  many  of  the  hymns  he  loves  are  from 
Unitarian  sources.  Happily,  in  the  hymns  of  the 
church  universal,  varieties  of  faith  blend  together 
in  a  most  wonderful  and  blessed  harmony,  as  the 
souls  of  men  are  outpoured  in  worship  to  Al- 
mighty God. 

Henry  Ware,  Jr.,  eldest  son  of  the  Rev.  Henry 
Ware,  was  born  in  Hingham,  Massachusetts,  in 
1794.  For  thirty-five  years  his  father  was  a  pro- 
fessor of  divinity  at  Harvard  College.  The  son, 
who  was  a  young  man  of  brilliant  parts,  gradu- 
ated with  high  honor  from  Harvard  at  the  age  of 
eighteen.  Entering  the  ministry  he  became  pas- 
tor, in  1817,  of  the  Second  Unitarian  Church  in 
Boston,  where,  at  a  later  date,  Ralph  Waldo 
Emerson  was  chosen  as  his  colleague.  In  1830, 
having  been  appointed  professor  of  Pulpit  Elo- 
quence and  Pastoral  Care  at  Cambridge,  he  en- 
tered on  these  new  duties.  But  his  health  was 
never  good,  and  in  a  few  years  he  was  compelled 
to  retire.  He  died  in  1843. 

288 


HENRY  WARE,  JR. 

He  was  a  voluminous  writer,  but  his  richest 
legacy  was  a  group  of  hymns  of  unusual  excel- 
lence. The  one  beginning,  "We  rear  not  a  tem- 
ple, like  Judah's  of  old,"  is  used  less  often  be- 
cause it  was  written  for  the  dedication  of  a  church. 
But  parts  of  it,  such  as  the  closing  stanza,  with 
its  warm  evangelical  appeal,  are  adapted  to  any 
occasion : 

"O  come  in  the  power  of  thy  life-giving  word, 
And  reveal  to  each  heart  its  Redeemer  and  Lord; 
Till  faith  bring  the  peace  to  the  penitent  given, 
And  love  fill  the  air  with  the  fragrance  of  heaven.'* 

The  triumphant  hymn  on  the  "Resurrection  of 
Christ,"  written  in  1817,  the  year  in  which  Mr. 
Ware  was  inducted  into  the  ministry,  was  born  of 
a  belief  that  never  wavered  in  this  central  doc- 
trine of  our  faith.  It  holds  a  place  among  our 
noblest  Easter  lyrics: 

"Lift  your  glad  voices  in  triumph  on  high, 
For  Jesus  hath  risen  and  man  cannot  die; 
Vain  were  the  terrors  that  gathered  around  him, 

And  short  the  dominion  of  death  and  the  grave; 
He  burst  from  the  fetters  of  darkness  that  bound 

him, 

Resplendent  in  glory,  to  live  and  to  save! 
Loud  was  the  chorus  of  angels  on  high, 
The  Saviour  hath  risen,  and  man  shall  not  die. 

"Glory  to  God,  in  full  anthems  of  joy; 
The  being  he  gave  us  death  cannot  destroy: 

Sad  were  the  life  we  must  part  with  to-morrow, 
289 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

If  tears  were  our  birthright,  and  death  were  our  end; 
But  Jesus  hath  cheered  the  dark  valley  of  sorrow, 
And  bade  us,  immortal,  to  heaven  ascend: 
Lift  then  your  voices  in  triumph  on  high, 
For  Jesus  hath  risen,  and  man  shall  not  die." 

"This  is  Boston's  best.  Unitarianism  rises  to 
the  height  of  the  Methodist  shout,  'Glory  to 
God,'  "  is  Bishop  Henry  W.  Warren's  comment 
on  this  hymn. 

There  is  one  more  hymn,  written  by  Mr.  Ware 
when  he  was  a  young  man  of  twenty-nine,  which 
calls  for  special  mention.  It  is  based  on  the 
words  of  Revelation:  "Behold,  a  throne  was  set 
in  heaven,  and  one  sat  on  the  throne,  .  .  .  and 
there  was  a  rainbow,  round  about  the  throne,  in 
sight  like  unto  an  emerald."  "And  they  sing  the 
song  of  Moses  the  servant  of  God,  and  the  song 
of  the  Lamb,  saying,  Great  and  marvelous  are 
thy  works,  Lord  God  Almighty;  just  and  true 
are  thy  ways,  thou  King  of  saints."  The  hymn 
that  follows,  with  genuine  inspiration  echoes  the 
language  of  the  Seer  of  Patmos: 

"Around  the  throne  of  God 

The  host  angelic  throngs; 
They  spread  then*  palms  abroad, 
And  shout  perpetual  songs: 
Him  first  they  own, 
Him  last  and  best; 
God  ever  blest, 
And  God  alone. 
290 


HENRY  WARE,  JR. 

'Their  golden  crowns  they  fling 

Before  His  throne  of  light, 
And  strike  the  rapturous  string, 
Unceasing,  day  and  night: 
'Earth,  heaven,  and  sea, 
Thy  praise  declare; 
For  Thine  they  are, 
And  Thine  shall  be. 

*  'O  Holy,  Holy  Lord, 

Creation's  sovereign  King! 
Thy  majesty  adored 
Let  all  creation  sing; 
Who  wast,  and  art, 
And  art  to  be; 
Nor  time  shall  see 
Thy  sway  depart. 

"  'Great  are  thy  works  of  praise, 

O  God  of  boundless  might; 
All  just  and  true  thy  ways, 
Thou  King  of  saints,  in  light: 
Let  all  above, 
And  all  below, 
Conspire  to  show 
Thy  power  and  love. 

'  'Who  shall  not  fear  thee,  Lord, 

And  magnify  thy  name? 
Thy  judgments  sent  abroad, 
Thy  holiness  proclaim: 
Nations  shall  throng 
From  every  shore, 
And  all  adore 
In  one  loud  song.' 
291 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"While  thus  the  powers  on  high 

Their  swelling  chorus  raise, 
Let  earth  and  man  reply, 
And  echo  back  the  praise: 
His  glory  own, 

First,  last,  and  best; 
God  ever  blest, 
And  God  alone.'* 


WILLIAM  HENRY  BURLEIGH 

1812-1871 

"So  you  liked  the  verses;  but  you  must  remem- 
ber that  I  do  not  claim  to  be  a  poet.  Were  it  not 
for  a  few  who  love  me,  and  who,  because  they 
love  me,  take  pleasure  in  my  verse,  I  should  never 
attempt  another  line."  Thus  Mr.  Burleigh  re- 
plied to  a  friend  who  had  spoken  warmly  of  one 
of  his  poems.  He  may  not  have  been  a  poet  in  a 
large  way,  but  he  wrote  several  hymns  which  are 
widely  sung  and  which  have  brought  blessing  to 
many  hearts.  To-day  we  think  of  him  on  this 
account,  but  two  generations  ago  men  spoke  of 
him  as  the  zealous  reformer,  who  as  editor  and 
lecturer  was  doing  his  utmost  to  arouse  the  con- 
science of  the  people. 

He  was  born  in  Woodstock,  Connecticut,  in 
1812,  and  reared  on  a  farm,  with  no  lack  of  hard 
work  from  dawn  till  past  sunset.  But  as  he  grew 
up  he  looked  beyond  the  home-acres.  He  saw 
that  all  was  not  right  with  the  world  or  with  his 


WILLIAM  HENRY  BURLEIGH 

own  country,  and  he  longed  to  have  a  hand  in 
crushing  certain  great  wrongs.  Above  all  else, 
slavery  and  intemperance  were  the  evils  that  he 
abhorred,  and  as  a  mere  boy  he  vowed  that  he 
would  spend  his  life  in  helping  to  destroy  them. 
His  mother  was  a  Bradford,  a  lineal  descendant 
of  William  Bradford  of  Mayflower  fame,  and  her 
son  had  militant  blood  in  his  veins. 

As  soon  as  he  reached  manhood  he  entered  the 
fray.  He  published  The  Christian  Witness  and 
afterward  The  Temperance  Banner ',  in  Pitts- 
burgh. Then  he  edited  an  antislavery  paper  in 
Hartford.  In  1849  he  became  agent  of  the  New 
York  State  Temperance  Society,  at  the  same 
time  publishing  The  Prohibitionist.  His  tongue 
kept  pace  with  his  pen.  He  was  a  man  of  strik- 
ing appearance  and  of  eloquent  speech,  and  he 
was  a  power  both  on  and  off  the  platform.  He 
went  everywhere,  in  lecture  and  address  seeking 
to  turn  public  sentiment  against  the  evils  of  the 
day. 

But  he  was  in  advance  of  the  times.  Men 
called  him  a  fanatic;  mobs  sought  to  intimidate 
him;  society  turned  him  out.  For  himself  he 
cared  nothing,  but  that  his  family  should  suffer, 
and  so  unjustly,  cut  him  to  the  quick.  Painful 
experiences  lay  in  the  background  of  that  beauti- 
ful hymn,  "Still  will  we  trust,"  regarded  by  many 
as  the  best  he  ever  composed : 

293 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"Still  will  we  trust  though  earth  seem  dark  and 

dreary, 

And  the  heart  faint  beneath  his  chastening  rod; 
Though  rough  and  steep  our  pathway,  worn  and 

weary, 
Still  will  we  trust  in  God! 

"Our  eyes  see  dimly  till  by  faith  anointed, 

And  our  blind  choosing  brings  us  grief  and  pain; 
Through  him  alone  who  hath  our  way  appointed 
We  find  our  peace  again. 

"Choose  for  us,  God!  nor  let  our  weak  preferring 

Cheat  our  poor  souls  of  good  thou  hast  designed; 
Choose  for  us,  God!  thy  wisdom  is  unerring, 
And  we  are  fools  and  blind. 

"So  from  our  sky  the  night  shall  furl  her  shadows, 

And  day  pour  gladness  through  his  golden  gates; 
Our  rough  path  lead  to  flower-enamelled  meadows, 
Where  joy  our  coming  waits. 

"Let  us  press  on  in  patient  self-denial, 

Accept  the  hardship,  shrink  not  from  the  loss: 
Our  guerdon  lies  beyond  the  hour  of  trial, 
Our  crown  beyond  the  cross." 

Mr.  Burleigh's  hymns  began  to  find  their  way 
across  the  Atlantic  soon  after  they  were  written, 
and  English  compilers  were  prompt  to  recognize 
their  worth  and  to  appropriate  them.  So  it  has 
come  about  that  his  productions  are  better  known 
and  more  widely  used  on  the  other  side  than  at 
home.  But  the  fine  hymn  on  "Divide  Guidance," 
opening  with  the  stanza: 

294 


WILLIAM  HENRY  BURLEIGH 

"Lead  us,  O  Father,  in  the  paths  of  peace; 
Without  thy  guiding  hand  we  go  astray, 
And  doubts  appall,  and  sorrows  still  increase; 
Lead  us  through  Christ,  the  true  and  living  Way," 

is  a  favorite  everywhere. 

In  February,  1863,  Mr.  Burleigh's  father  died, 
and  in  the  course  of  the  two  years  following  he 
lost  his  wife,  his  eldest  son,  and  his  eldest  daugh- 
ter. They  were  staggering  blows.  He  wrote  to 
a  friend:  "It  is  not  without  strong  wrestlings  that 
doubts  and  murmurings  are  put  under  my  feet 
and  I  am  enabled  to  struggle  up  into  the  purer 
atmosphere  of  faith."  It  was  this  bitter  experi- 
ence that  gave  birth  to  that  noble  hymn,  of  which 
we  quote  the  first  and  last  stanzas : 

"O,  deem  not  that  earth's  crowning  bliss 

Is  found  in  joy  alone; 
For  sorrow,  bitter  though  it  be, 

Hath  blessings  all  its  own; 
From  lips  divine,  like  healing  balm, 

To  hearts  oppressed  and  torn, 
This  heavenly  consolation  fell— 

'Blessed  are  they  that  mourn.' 

"How  rich  and  sweet  and  full  of  strength 

Our  human  spirits  are, 
Baptized  into  the  sanctities 

Of  suffering  and  of  prayer! 
Supernal  wisdom,  love  divine, 

Breathed  through  the  lips  which  said, 
'O,  blessed  are  the  souls  that  mourn — 
They  shall  be  comforted!' ' 
295 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

STEPHEN  GKEENLEAF  BULFINCH 

1809-1870 

Stephen  Greenleaf  Bulfinch,  whose  father  was 
the  distinguished  architect  who  drew  the  plans 
for  the  Capitol  at  Washington,  was  born  in  Bos- 
ton in  1809.  Following  his  collegiate  course  and 
his  graduation  from  the  Harvard  Divinity 
School,  like  so  many  of  the  gifted  New  England 
young  men  of  that  period,  he  entered  the  Uni- 
tarian ministry.  His  first  pastorate  was  in  Geor- 
gia, and  then  he  returned  North,  where  he  served 
a  number  of  churches  till  his  death  in  1870.  He 
had  a  poetical  nature  and  began  writing  sacred 
verse  when  he  was  only  a  youth.  His  first  book, 
Contemplations  of  the  Saviour,  appeared  when 
he  was  twenty-three.  Two  years  later  he  brought 
out  a  second  volume  of  poems,  but  in  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  where  the  book  was  published, 
only  five  copies  were  sold,  and  of  these,  the  gen- 
tleman and  his  wife  to  whom  it  was  dedicated 
bought  three.  And  yet  among  the  contents  were 
verses  that  were  destined  to  find  their  way  into 
various  hymnals,  both  at  home  and  abroad. 
There  were  these  truly  worshipful  stanzas,  writ- 
ten at  the  age  of  twenty -two  and  perhaps  the  best 
known  of  any  of  the  author's  sacred  poetry: 

"Hail  to  the  Sabbath  day! 
The  day  divinely  given, 
When  men  to  God  their  homage  pay, 
And  earth  draws  near  to  heaven. 
296 


STEPHEN    GREENLEAF   BULFINCH 

"Lord,  in  this  sacred  hour, 

Within  thy  courts  we  bend, 
And  bless  thy  love,  and  own  thy  power, 
Our  Father  and  our  Friend. 

"But  thou  art  not  alone 

In  courts  by  mortals  trod; 
Nor  only  is  the  day  thine  own 
When  man  draws  near  to  God. 

"Thy  temple  is  the  arch 

Of  yon  unmeasured  sky; 
Thy  Sabbath,  the  stupendous  march 
Of  vast  eternity. 

"Lord,  may  that  holier  day 

Dawn  on  thy  servants'  sight; 

And  purer  worship  may  we  pay 

In  heaven's  unclouded  light." 

This  "gentle  and  saintly  bard,"  as  his  friends 
delighted  to  call  him,  is  remembered  as  a  man  of 
deep  spirituality,  as  well  as  an  extensive  and 
gifted  writer. 


291 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

MRS.  ESLING,  ALICE  CARY,  PHCEBE 

CARY,  MISS  WARNER,  MISS 

LATHBURY,  MRS.  MILLER 

CATHERINE  WATTERMAN  ESLING 

1812-1897 

"Come  unto  me,  when  shadows  darkly  gather, 

When  the  sad  heart  is  weary  and  distressed, 
Seeking  for  comfort  from  your  heavenly  Father, 
Come  unto  me,  and  I  will  give  you  rest." 

THIS  is  the  third  stanza  in  a  poem  which  in  the 
original  form  contains  nine  stanzas.  It  was  writ- 
ten by  Miss  Catherine  H.  Watterman  of  Phila- 
delphia, in  1839,  the  year  before  her  marriage  to 
Captain  George  J.  E sling.  She  wrote  a  number 
of  poems  which  were  published  in  1850,  but  this 
is  her  only  hymn.  It  voices  in  language  of  tender 
and  persuasive  beauty  the  invitation  of  the  Mas- 
ter to  come  unto  him,  and  its  use,  both  in  public 
and  in  private  worship,  has  brought  blessing  to 
multitudes  of  sad  and  needy  hearts. 

It  is  especially  effective  as  sung  to  the  tune 
"Henley,"  by  Lowell  Mason. 

"Large  are  the  mansions  in  thy  Father's  dwelling, 

Glad  are  the  homes  that  sorrows  never  dim; 
Sweet  are  the  harps  in  holy  music  swelling, 
Soft  are  the  tones  which  raise  the  heavenly 
hymn." 

298 


MARY  ARTEMISIA  LATHBURY          AXXA  BAKTLETT  WAHXKR 

PH(EBE  GARY 
ALICE  C'ARY  KMII.Y  HITXTIX(STOX  MII.I.KR 


A  GROUP  OF  WOMEN 

Mrs.  Esling  was  a  devout  Episcopalian.  She 
died  in  Philadelphia,  the  city  of  her  birth,  in  1897, 
at  the  ripe  age  of  eighty-five. 

ALICE  GARY  PHCEBE  GARY 

182O-1871  1824-1871 

These  sisters  were  so  linked  in  their  lives — 
twin  souls — that  we  cannot  think  or  speak  of  the 
one  without  including  the  other.  A  tender  inter- 
est gathers  about  the  hymns  they  wrote,  because 
of  the  peculiar  pathos  running  through  their  life- 
story.  They  were  born  on  a  farm  near  Cincin- 
nati, Alice  in  1820  and  Phoebe  four  years  later. 
It  was  a  home  of  poverty.  There  were  nine  chil- 
dren, and  it  was  a  ceaseless  struggle  to  keep  out 
of  debt.  As  Alice  once  said,  "For  the  first  four- 
teen years  of  my  life,  it  seemed  as  if  there  was 
actually  nothing  in  existence  but  work." 

The  sisters  were  ambitious,  but  they  were  shut 
in  on  every  side.  There  were  less  than  a  dozen 
books  in  the  house,  and  others  could  be  procured 
only  at  great  sacrifice.  Presently  the  mother 
died,  and  then  a  stepmother  came  who  had  no 
sympathy  with  the  girls'  desire  for  an  education. 
She  denied  them  the  use  of  candles  for  evening 
study,  and  for  years  all  their  night  reading  was 
done  by  the  light  of  a  tallow  dip.  But  they  per- 
severed. They  began  to  write  poems  which  were 
printed  in  various  papers  and  magazines,  and 

299 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

which  brought  letters  of  encouragement,  one  of 
them,  which  delighted  their  hearts,  being  from 
Whittier. 

In  the  summer  of  1849,  a  New  York  publisher 
agreed  to  bring  out  a  small  volume  of  their  verse, 
paying  them  the  princely  sum  of  one  hundred 
dollars.  They  were  so  elated  that  they  decided 
to  take  a  trip  east,  quite  a  venture  for  two  coun- 
try girls  in  those  days.  Among  other  places 
visited  they  timidly  wended  their  way  to  Ames- 
bury  and  called  on  the  Quaker  poet  who  had  so 
kindly  written  them.  After  the  death  of  Alice, 
Whittier  reverted  to  that  early  visit  in  his  touch- 
ing poem,  "The  Singer,"  in  which  he  tells  how, 

"Years  since  (but  names  to  me  before), 
Two  sisters  sought  at  eve  my  door; 
Two  song  birds  wandering  from  their  nest, 
A  gray  old  farmhouse  in  the  West." 

In  the  fall  of  1850,  Alice  moved  to  New  York, 
which  was  henceforth  her  home.  The  following 
spring  Phoebe  joined  her.  The  sisters  practiced 
the  strictest  economy;  they  would  rather  live  on 
a  crust  than  go  in  debt.  During  the  early  years 
there  were  some  severe  struggles.  They  were  en- 
tirely dependent  on  their  writing  for  an  income, 
and  the  chief  burden  rested  on  Alice,  who  was  the 
readier  and  the  more  diligent  of  the  two  in  the 
use  of  her  pen.  As  time  went  on  the  income  be- 
came ampler  and  more  assured,  and  the  sisters 

300 


enjoyed  every  comfort.  But  to  the  end,  Alice 
could  not  escape  the  spur  of  necessity;  she  knew 
that  the  writing  must  be  done.  It  preyed  upon 
her  health,  and  a  constitution  never  strong  suc- 
cumbed. Her  sufferings  were  very  great.  At 
the  funeral  service,  her  pastor,  Dr.  Deems,  of 
the  Church  of  the  Strangers,  told  how  he  "had 
been  by  her  side  when  the  pain  was  so  intense 
that  the  prints  of  her  finger  nails  would  be  left 
in  the  palm  of  his  hand  as  he  was  holding  hers." 
But  she  made  no  complaint.  It  was  shortly  be- 
fore her  death  that  she  wrote  the  only  poem  which 
to  any  extent  has  been  used  as  a  hymn.  It  is 
unfortunate  that  one  who  produced  so  much  that 
was  saturated  with  deep  spiritual  feeling,  ex- 
pressed with  such  tender  grace — poems  that  have 
brought  comfort  and  uplift  to  many  lives — 
should  have  left  little  which  the  church  has  been 
prompted  to  include  in  its  hymnody.  The  hymn 
referred  to,  entitled  "Dying  Hymn,"  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

"Earth,  with  its  dark  and  dreadful  ills, 

Recedes,  and  fades  away; 
Lift  up  your  heads,  ye  heavenly  hills; 
Ye  gates  of  death,  give  way! 

"My  soul  is  full  of  whispered  song; 

My  blindness  is  my  sight; 
The  shadows  that  I  feared  so  long 
Are  all  alive  with  light.  • 
301 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"The  while  my  pulses  faintly  beat, 

My  faith  doth  so  abound, 
I  feel  grow  firm  beneath  my  feet 
The  green  immortal  ground. 

"That  faith  to  me  a  courage  gives, 

Low  as  the  grave  to  go; 
I  know  that  my  Redeemer  lives: 
That  I  shall  live,  I  know. 

"The  palace  walls  I  almost  see, 

Where  dwells  my  Lord  and  King; 
O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory! 
O  death,  where  is  thy  sting!'* 

It  was  given  to  the  younger  sister,  Phoebe,  to 
write  "One  sweetly  solemn  thought,"  a  hymn  that 
will  never  die.  On  a  Sunday  morning,  in  the  year 
1852,  she  had  attended  church  as  usual,  but  the 
sermon,  on  the  brevity  of  life,  impressed  her  in 
a  very  unusual  way.  It  suggested  the  theme  of 
a  hymn,  a  theme  which  kept  revolving  in  her 
mind  to  the  close  of  the  service  and  all  the  way 
home.  As  soon  as  she  was  alone,  she  took  up  her 
pen  and  in  a  short  time  the  hymn  was  finished. 
The  meter  was  irregular  and  she  never  had  a 
thought  that  it  would  be  sung,  but  it  speedily 
gained  a  popularity  which  has  never  diminished. 
Dr.  Deems  tells  that  one  day,  as  he  and  Phoebe 
were  working  together,  making  their  selections 
for  a  new  hymn  book  for  the  Church  of  the 
Strangers,  he  said  to  her,  "Now,  Phoebe,  let  us 

302 


A  GROUP  OF  WOMEN 

put  in  your  'Sweetly  solemn  thought.' '  "O, 
that  was  not  written  for  a  hymn."  "Neverthe- 
less, people  will  sing  it" ;  and  he  pressed  the  mat- 
ter. "Well,  I'll  look  it  over  and  fix  it  up.  Pos- 
terity never  did  anything  for  me,  but  I  suppose 
I  must  do  something  for  posterity.  I'll  rewrite 
it  just  as  I  want  it  to  stand  forever,  and  I'll  never 
touch  it  again."  The  following  is  the  final  ver- 
sion: 

"One  sweetly  solemn  thought 

Comes  to  me  o'er  and  o'er, — 
I  am  nearer  my  home  to-day 
Than  I  ever  have  been  before. 

"Nearer  my  Father's  house, 

Where  the  many  mansions  be; 
Nearer  the  great  white  throne; 
Nearer  the  crystal  sea; 

"Nearer  the  bound  of  life, 

Where  we  lay  our  burdens  down; 
Nearer  leaving  the  cross; 
Nearer  gaining  the  crown. 

"But  the  waves  of  that  silent  sea 

Roll  dark  before  my  sight, 
That  brightly  the  other  side 
Break  on  a  shore  of  light. 

"O  if  my  mortal  feet 

Have  almost  gained  the  brink, 
If  it  be  I  am  nearer  home 
Even  to-day  than  I  think, 
303 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"Father,  perfect  my  trust; 

Let  my  spirit  feel  in  death 
That  her  feet  are  firmly  set 
On  the  rock  of  a  living  faith." 

"It  seems  to  me  that  a  cord  stretches  from 
Alice's  heart  to  mine,"  said  Phoebe  one  day. 
The  sisters  were  inseparable.  Neither  could  live 
without  the  other.  When  Alice  was  taken, 
Phoebe  was  only  forty-five.  Apparently  her  best 
days  were  still  ahead,  but  at  once  a  change  took 
place.  Dr.  Deems  wrote  of  her:  "From  the  time 
of  Alice's  death  she  began  to  decline.  Her  health 
had  been  perfect;  she  scarcely  knew  anything  of 
aches  and  pains ;  there  was  not  a  gray  hair  on  her 
head;  but  she  aged;  grew  pale  and  wrinkled  and 
gray;  everything  lost  power  to  interest  her.  A 
few  Sundays  after  Alice  died  Phoebe  was  in 
church,  and  at  the  close  of  the  service  came  to 
Mrs.  Deems  and  said,  'I  feel  so  lonely;  let  me  sit 
with  you  in  your  pew  during  church  service.'  She 
came  into  my  study  and  laid  her  head  upon  my 
shoulder  and  wept  violently."  She  lingered  on 
for  five  months,  and  then  she  too  entered  "the 
waves  of  that  silent  sea,  that  brightly  break  on  a 
shore  of  light,"  and  the  two  sister-singers  were 
reunited  forever. 


304 


A  GROUP  OF  WOMEN 
ANNA  BARTLETT  WARNER 

1820-1915 

IN  the  years  gone  by,  how  many  travelers  by 
the  Hudson  River  steamers  have  passed  West 
Point  without  realizing  that  on  the  neighboring 
Constitution  Island  lived  the  two  Warner  sis- 
ters, Susan  and  Anna,  whose  stories  were  in  such 
popular  demand!  So  far  as  the  great  world  was 
concerned  the  women  led  a  quiet  and  secluded 
life,  but  they  always  kept  in  close  touch  with 
the  United  States  Military  Academy.  For  well- 
nigh  two  generations  they  conducted  a  Bible 
Class  for  the  cadets,  thus  coming  to  be  regarded 
as  almost  part  of  the  teaching  force  of  the  insti- 
tution. When  they  died  the  funeral  of  each  was 
held  with  military  honors. 

Susan  was  the  older  and  the  better  known  as 
a  writer,  but  it  is  to  the  poetic  talent  of  Anna  that 
we  are  indebted  for  several  of  our  much-loved 
hymns.  In  one  of  her  first  books,  Say  and  Seal, 
written  in  collaboration  with  her  sister  and  pub- 
lished in  1860,  there  appeared  that  perfect  lit- 
tle gem : 

"Jesus  loves  me,  this  I  know, 
For  the  Bible  tells  me  so" — 

a  song  that  for  more  than  half  a  century  chil- 
dren the  world  over  have  loved  and  have  known 
by  heart.  In  mission  lands  it  is  a  favorite  hymn 
with  the  Christians  both  young  and  old.  Even  on 

305 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

the  mountains  of  interior  Yunnan,  in  China,  con- 
verts among  the  tribes-people  sing  it,  sometimes 
simultaneously  in  many  different  dialects,  and  all 
over  the  land  it  has  led  to  the  conversion  of  mul- 
titudes. 

Her  Wayfaring  Hymns,  which  came  out  in 
1869,  contained  a  selection  entitled,  "The  Song  of 
a  Tired  Servant."  In  a  letter  recently  received 
from  a  ministerial  friend,  he  had  spoken  of  his 
weariness  at  the  close  of  the  day  but  of  his  joy  in 
the  work  of  the  Lord.  This  suggested  the  fa- 
miliar and  beautiful  poem:  "One  more  day's 
work  for  Jesus."  Unfortunately,  two  of  the  best 
stanzas  are  sometimes  omitted  as  the  piece  ap- 
pears in  our  hymnals: 

"One  more  day's  work  for  Jesus: 
How  glorious  is  my  King! 
'Tis  joy,  not  duty, 
To  speak  his  beauty; 
My  soul  mounts  on  the  wing 
At  the  mere  thought 
How  Christ  her  life  hath  bought. 

"One  more  day's  work  for  Jesus: 
In  hope,  in  faith,  in  prayer, 
His  word  I've  spoken — 
His  bread  I've  broken, 
To  souls  faint  with  despair; 
And  bade  them  flee 
To  him  who  hath  saved  me." 

In  Hymns  of  the  Church  Militant,  compiled 
by  Miss  Anna  Warner  in  1858,  we  find  one  from 

306 


A  GROUP  OF  WOMEN 

her  own  pen  of  rare  beauty.  It  was  written  sev- 
eral years  prior  to  its  appearance  in  print.  In 
one  of  Susan's  diaries,  under  date  of  February 
8,  1851,  there  is  this  entry:  "The  next  day,  Sun- 
day, in  the  afternoon,  A.  had  been  copying  off 
some  hymns  for  Emmeline's  book,  and  left  them 
with  me  to  look  over.  I  had  not  read  two  verses 
of  'We  would  see  Jesus,'  when  I  thought  of 
Anna,  and  merely  casting  my  eye  down,  the 
others  so  delighted  and  touched  me  that  I  left  it 
for  tears  and  petitions.  I  wished  A.  might  prove 
the  author — and  after  I  found  she  was,  I  sat  by 
her  a  little  while  with  my  head  against  her,  cry- 
ing such  delicious  tears." 

Suggested  by  the  appeal  of  the  Greeks  to 
Philip,  "Sir,  we  would  see  Jesus,"  the  hymn 
voices  the  deep  yearning  of  human  hearts  in  all 
the  ages  to  look  beyond  the  veil,  and,  if  only  for 
one  brief  moment,  to  see  him  whom  our  souls 
adore,  and  "whom,  having  not  seen,"  we  love. 
We  quote  the  opening  and  closing  stanzas : 

"We  would  see  Jesus:  for  the  shadows  lengthen 

Across  this  little  landscape  of  our  life; 
We  would  see  Jesus,  our  weak  faith  to  strengthen 
For  the  last  weariness,  the  final  strife. 

"We  would  see  Jesus:  this  is  all  we're  needing; 
Strength,  joy,  and  willingness  come  with  the 

sight; 

We  would  see  Jesus,  dying,  risen,  pleading; 
Then  welcome  day,  and  farewell  mortal  night." 
307 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

MARY  ARTEMISIA  LATHBURY 

1841-1913 

Miss  Lathbury  holds  a  unique  place  among 
our  American  hymn-writers.  She  was  long 
known  as  the  "Laureate  of  Chautauqua."  It  has 
been  given  to  few  poets  to  have  their  hymns  used 
by  as  large  and  enthusiastic  and  cultured  audi- 
ences as  have  sung  the  hymns  of  this  gifted 
woman. 

The  child  of  devout  Christian  parents,  she  was 
born  in  Manchester,  New  York,  in  1841.  Her 
father  was  a  local  preacher  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  two  of  her  brothers  were 
ordained  to  the  Methodist  ministry.  She  early 
developed  a  talent  both  for  composing  verses  and 
for  drawing,  and  as  a  mere  girl  her  favorite  pas- 
time was  the  writing  of  short  poems  adorned  with 
original  illustrations.  But  almost  from  the  first 
the  pastime  became  a  part  of  her  religion.  One 
day  she  seemed  to  hear  a  voice  saying  to  her: 
"Remember,  my  child,  that  you  have  a  gift  of 
weaving  fancies  into  verse,  and  a  gift  with  the 
pencil  of  producing  visions  that  come  to  your 
heart;  consecrate  these  to  me  as  thoroughly  and 
as  definitely  as  you  do  your  inmost  spirit."  She 
was  not  disobedient  to  the  heavenly  call. 

As  the  years  passed  and  her  talents  matured, 
Miss  Lathbury  became  widely  known  as  a  con- 
tributor to  periodicals  for  children  and  young 

308 


A  GROUP  OF  WOMEN 

people.  In  1874,  Dr.  John  H.  Vincent,  who  at 
that  time  was  Secretary  of  the  Methodist  Sun- 
day School  Union,  engaged  her  as  his  assistant 
in  the  editorial  department.  Not  only  did  this 
widen  her  opportunity  for  usefulness  as  a  writer 
for  children,  but  it  brought  her  into  close  touch 
with  the  Chautauqua  movement  at  its  very  be- 
ginning. The  Chautauqua  idea  appealed  to  her 
strongly  and  she  gave  herself  enthusiastically  to 
its  promotion.  Her  poetic  gift  was  at  once  ap- 
preciated, and  through  the  years  she  was  ap- 
pealed to  again  and  again  for  hymns  to  be  sung  on 
special  occasions.  She  gladly  responded,  and  it 
was  in  this  way  that  her  best-known  hymns  had 
their  origin. 

The  one  written  for  the  Centennial  celebration 
in  1876,  with  the  chorus: 

"Arise  and  shine  in  youth  immortal, 

Thy  light  is  come,  thy  King  appears! 
Beyond  the  Century's  swinging  portal, 

Breaks  a  new  dawn — the  thousand  years!" — 

impressed  Frances  E.  Willard  as  "the  most  com- 
plete utterance  of  that  sublime  period,"  and  it 
was  a  favorite  with  the  author  herself. 

Although  Chautauqua  started  out  as  a  Meth- 
odist enterprise,  under  the  liberal  leadership  of 
Dr.  Vincent  it  soon  lost  its  sectarian  character 
and  made  its  appeal  to  all  Christians  alike.  Miss 
Lathbury  caught  the  spirit  of  her  chief,  and  for 

309 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

the  summer  of  1881  she  wrote  her  greatly  ad- 
mired hymn  on  "The  Nameless  Fold": 

"O  Shepherd  of  the  Nameless  Fold— 

The  blessed  church  to  be — 
Our  hearts  with  love  and  longing  turn 
To  find  their  rest  in  thee! 

"  'Thy  Kingdom  come' — its  heavenly  walls 

Unseen  around  us  rise, 
And  deep  in  loving  human  hearts 
Its  broad  foundation  lies." 

It  was  a  beautiful  prayer  for  that  spirit  of 
Christian  unity  for  which  Chautauqua  has  stood 
through  all  the  years. 

One  of  her  finest  poems,  meriting  a  wider  use 
than  it  has  received,  especially  as  a  morning 
carol,  is  the  one  which  opens  with  the  lines: 

"Arise,  all  souls,  arise!  the  watch  is  past; 
A  glory  breaks  above  the  cloud  at  last. 
There  comes  a  rushing,  mighty  wind  again! 
The  breath  of  God  is  still  the  life  of  men; 
The  day  ascending  fills  the  waiting  skies, 
All  souls,  arise!" 

The  two  best-known  hymns  by  Miss  Lath- 
bury,  "Break  Thou  the  bread  of  life,"  and  "Day 
is  dying  in  the  west,"  were  given  to  Dr.  Vincent 
in  1887.  The  former  of  these,  a  little  gem,  she 
called  a  "Study  Song,"  and  it  has  always  been  a 
rare  favorite.  When  we  remember  that  it  was 
intended  primarily  for  the  hungry  students  of 

310 


A  GROUP  OF  WOMEN 

the  Word  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Chautauqua,  we 
feel  the  appropriateness  of  the  allusion  to  the 
breaking  and  blessing  of  the  loaves  "beside  the 
sea"  of  Galilee.  The  hymn  is  loved  both  at  home 
and  abroad.  Dr.  G.  Campbell  Morgan  al- 
ways asked  the  congregation  to  sing  it  at  the 
weekly  meetings  of  his  great  Bible  class  in  Lon- 
don, just  before  he  began  the  exposition  of  the 
lesson : 

"Break  thou  the  Bread  of  life, 

Dear  Lord,  to  me, 
As  thou  didst  break  the  loaves 

Beside  the  sea; 
Beyond  the  sacred  page 

I  seek  thee,  Lord; 
My  spirit  pants  for  thee, 

O  living  Word! 

"Bless  thou  the  truth,  dear  Lord, 

To  me,  to  me, 
As  thou  didst  bless  the  bread 

By  Galilee; 
Then  shall  all  bondage  cease, 

All  fetters  fall; 
And  I  shall  find  my  peace, 

My  All-in-All !" 

Without  doubt  the  finest  hymn  that  Miss  Lath- 
bury  ever  wrote,  and  the  one  that  everywhere  has 
been  received  with  praise,  is,  "Day  is  dying  in 
the  west."  It  was  written  at  the  request  of  Dr. 
Vincent.  From  the  beginning,  the  vesper  hour 
at  Chautauqua,  in  a  peculiar  way,  has  seemed 

311 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

to  gather  about  it  the  spiritual  beauty  and  up- 
lift of  the  whole  day.  But  there  was  no  hymn 
quite  suited  to  the  hour  till  this  "poetess  and 
saint,"  as  Dr.  Vincent  used  to  call  her,  made  her 
contribution.  Since  then  this  lyric  has  been  sung 
around  the  world.  Some  years  after  its  first 
appearance,  W.  Garrett  Horder,  the  well- 
known  English  anthologist,  chanced  to  see  it  in 
a  book  recently  received  from  an  American 
friend.  Who  Miss  Lathbury  was  he  had  no  idea, 
but  his  practiced  eye  immediately  recognized  in 
the  poem  a  masterpiece.  In  the  enthusiasm  of  a 
genuine  discovery,  he  wrote:  "It  is  one  of  the 
finest  and  most  distinctive  hymns  of  modern 
times.  It  deserves  to  rank  with  'Lead,  Kindly 
Light,'  of  Cardinal  Newman,  for  its  pic- 
turesqueness  and  allusionness,  and  above  all  else 
for  this,  that  devout  souls,  no  matter  what  their 
distinctive  beliefs,  can  through  it  voice  their  deep- 
est feelings  and  aspirations."  It  is  sung  in  many 
places  and  by  many  voices,  but  to  be  fully  appre- 
ciated it  must  be  heard  in  the  great  auditorium 
at  Chautauqua,  where  the  people  know  it  and 
love  it  as  nowhere  else,  and  where  the  words, 
pealed  out  to  the  matchless  melody  of  Professor 
Sherwin,  to  which  they  were  long  since  wedded, 
sweep  the  soul  up  to  the  very  throne  of  the  eternal 
God. 

As  originally  written,  the  hymn  consisted  of 
312 


A  GROUP  OF  WOMEN 

two  stanzas.  In  1890,  in  response  to  the  earnest 
request  of  many  friends,  Miss  Lathbury  added  a 
third  and  a  fourth  stanza : 

"Day  is  dying  in  the  west; 
Heaven  is  touching  earth  with  rest; 
Wait  and  worship  while  the  night 
Sets  her  evening  lamps  alight 

Through  all  the  sky. 
Holy,  holy,  holy  Lord  God  of  Hosts! 
Heaven  and  earth  are  full  of  thee! 
Heaven  and  earth  are  praising  thee, 
O  Lord  most  high. 

"Lord  of  life,  beneath  the  dome 
Of  the  universe,  thy  home, 
Gather  us  who  seek  thy  face 
To  the  fold  of  thy  embrace, 
For  thou  art  nigh. 

"While  the  deepening  shadows  fall, 
Heart  of  Love,  enfolding  all, 
Through  the  glory  and  the  grace 
Of  the  stars  that  veil  thy  face, 
Our  hearts  ascend. 

"When  forever  from  our  sight 
Pass  the  stars,  the  day,  the  night, 
Lord  of  angels,  on  our  eyes 
Let  eternal  morning  rise, 
And  shadows  end." 

Miss  Lathbury  lived  in  and  near  New  York, 
where  she  carried  on  her  literary  and  artistic 
work.  She  died  in  1913. 


313 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

EMILY  HUNTINGTON  MILLER 

1833-1913 

Emily  Huntington  Miller,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Thomas  Huntington,  was  born  in  1833,  and  grew 
up  in  a  Methodist  parsonage.  She  did  the  un- 
usual thing  for  a  young  woman  in  those  days — 
she  went  to  college,  graduating  from  Oberlin  in 
the  class  of  '57.  Three  years  later  she  was  mar- 
ried to  Mr.  John  E.  Miller.  For  nearly  a  decade 
subsequent  to  his  death,  she  was  the  Dean  of 
the  Woman's  College  of  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity, where  she  made  a  blessed  impression  on 
thousands  of  girls. 

She  was  a  writer  nearly  all  her  life,  and  many 
of  her  poems  possess  real  merit  though  com- 
paratively few  have  found  a  place  in  the  church 
hymnals.  Of  her  hymns  now  in  use,  one  of  the 
choicest  was  written,  by  request,  for  the  Woman's 
Missionary  Day  at  the  Parliament  of  Religions 
in  Chicago,  in  1893.  The  opening  stanza  reads: 

"Kingdom  of  light!  whose  morning  star 

To  Bethlehem's  manger  led  the  way, 
Not  yet  upon  our  longing  eyes 

Shines  the  full  splendor  of  thy  day: 
Yet  still  across  the  centuries  falls, 

Solemn  and  sweet,  our  Lord's  command; 
And  still  with  steadfast  faith  we  cry, 

'Lo,  the  glad  kingdom  is  at  hand!'  ' 

But  it  was  with  children  that  Mrs.  Miller  ex- 
celled. The  author,  who  knew  her  intimately  in 

314 


A  GROUP  OF  WOMEN 

his  boyhood,  vividly  recalls  her  bright  and  ani- 
mated ways,  and  the  triumphant  appeal  that  she 
made  to  the  child  heart.  From  1867  to  1875  she 
edited  The  Little  Corporal,  a  magazine  for  chil- 
dren, which  became  very  popular.  It  was  her 
habit  to  write  for  it,  once  a  month,  a  short  poem 
which  could  be  set  to  music.  One  month,  illness 
delayed  the  contribution.  The  last  day  came; 
the  poem  must  be  provided  at  once  or  none  would 
appear  in  that  issue.  Mustering  all  her  strength, 
she  set  to  work.  She  tells  us  that  "the  words  were 
suggested  rapidly  and  continuously,"  and  in  "less 
than  fifteen  minutes  the  hymn  was  written  and 
sent  away  without  any  correction."  It  became 
better  known  than  anything  else  she  ever  wrote : 

"I  love  to  hear  the  story 

Which  angel  voices  tell, 
How  once  the  King  of  glory 

Came  down  on  earth  to  dwell. 
I  am  both  weak  and  sinful, 

But  this  I  surely  know, 
The  Lord  came  down  to  save  me, 

Because  he  loved  me  so. 

"I'm  glad  my  blessed  Saviour 

Was  once  a  child  like  me, 
To  show  how  pure  and  holy 

His  little  ones  may  be; 
And  if  I  try  to  follow 

His  footsteps  here  below, 
He  never  will  forget  me, 
Because  he  loves  me  so. 
315 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"To  sing  his  love  and  mercy 

My  sweetest  songs  I'll  raise; 
And  though  I  cannot  see  him 

I  know  he  hears  my  praise; 
For  he  has  kindly  promised 

That  even  I  may  go 
To  sing  among  his  angels, 

Because  he  loves  me  so." 

Mrs.  Miller,  more  than  anyone  else,  was  sur- 
prised at  the  popularity  of  this  little  song.  It 
went  everywhere,  winning  a  multitude  of  friends, 
on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  It  has  the  unique 
distinction  of  being  one  of  the  very  few  American 
selections  admitted  to  Hymns  Ancient  and  Mod- 
ern, the  great  hymnbook  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land. 

Mr.  F.  A.  Jones,  the  English  writer  on  hymns, 
commends  very  highly  another  song  for  children, 
by  Mrs.  Miller,  not  so  well  known  as  the  favorite 
just  quoted,  but  of  peculiar  sweetness: 

"Father,  while  the  shadows  fall, 
With  the  twilight  over  all, 
Deign  to  hear  my  evening  prayer, 
Make  a  little  child  thy  care. 

Take  me  in  thy  holy  keeping 

Till  the  morning  break; 

Guard  me  through  the  darkness  sleeping, 

Bless  me  when  I  wake. 

"'Twas  thy  hand  that  all  the  day 
Scattered  joys  along  my  way, 
Crowned  my  life  with  blessings  sweet, 
Kept  from  snares  my  careless  feet. 
316 


A  GROUP  OF  WOMEN 

'Like  thy  patient  love  to  me, 

May  my  love  to  others  be; 

All  the  wrong  my  hands  have  done, 

Pardon,  Lord,  through  Christ,  thy  Son.'* 


317 


CHAPTER  XIX 
COXE,  BROOKS,  W.  C.  DOANE 

ARTHUR  CLEVELAND  COXE 

1818-1896 

IT  used  to  be  said  of  Bishop  Coxe  that  he  came 
nearer  being  the  Keble  of  America  than  any 
other  Episcopalian  of  his  day.  Born  in  181&,  the 
son  of  a  distinguished  Presbyterian  minister, 
himself  a  member  of  that  communion  for  several 
years,  even  as  a  boy  he  was  restless  and  declared 
his  intention  of  becoming  a  "Churchman."  Dur- 
ing his  undergraduate  days  at  the  University  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  this  purpose  grew,  and 
at  the  first  opportunity  he  left  the  church  of  his 
fathers  and  entered  the  new  fold.  As  if  to  em- 
phasize his  break  with  the  past,  he  altered  the 
spelling  of  his  name,  adding  the  "e." 

He  at  once  decided  to  study  for  the  ministry, 
and  after  completing  the  prescribed  course  was 
given  his  first  parish.  A  man  of  unusual  gifts,  his 
progress  was  rapid.  He  served  in  Hartford  for 
a  time,  and  then  in  Baltimore,  whence  he  was 
recalled  to  New  York  City  to  become  rector  of 
Calvary  Church.  While  there  he  was  elected 
bishop  of  Western  New  York,  and  at  the  open- 
ing of  1865  he  entered  on  his  new  duties,  moving 
to  Buffalo,  which  was  thereafter  his  home. 

318 


COXE,  BROOKS,  W.  C.  DOANE 

He  was  a  man  of  intense  and  militant  spirit, 
especially  on  all  matters  ecclesiastical — much 
like  his  father;  and  many  a  battle-royal  the  two 
men  had  in  discussing  their  rival  claims.  All  his 
life  long  the  bishop  was  a  zealous  apostle  of 
church  unity,  but  he  could  see  only  one  way  in 
which  it  could  be  brought  about.  He  felt  that 
passionate  devotion  to  the  church  of  his  choice 
which  is  so  often  found  in  those  who  have  changed 
from  one  communion  to  another. 

Soon  after  leaving  college,  and  amid  the  glow 
of  his  reception  into  a  new  church  home,  while 
still  a  youth  of  scarcely  twenty-one  he  wrote  a 
ballad  entitled,  "Chelsea."  It  was  first  printed 
in  The  Churchman,  and  afterward  in  his  volume 
of  Christian  Ballads,  We  prize  it  because  it  con- 
tains that  noble  hymn,  beginning : 

"O  where  are  kings  and  empires  now, 

Of  old  that  went  and  came? 
But,  Lord,  thy  church  is  praying  yet, 
A  thousand  years  the  same." 

In  the  original,  the  third  line  read,  "But  holy 
church  is  praying  yet."  The  thought  of  the 
young  author  may  have  been  quite  restricted 
when  he  wrote  these  words,  but  the  various  de- 
nominations have  felt  no  hesitation  in  appropri- 
ating the  hymn,  and  it  has  been  used  everywhere 
with  blessing  to  the  singers.  The  General  Con- 
ference of  the  Evangelical  Alliance  was  held  in 

319 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

New  York  City  in  1873.  A  friend  who  was  pres- 
ent, in  describing  it  to  Dr.  Duffield,  said:  "It  was 
at  the  time  when  so  much  had  been  said  about  the 
'prayer-test,'  and  when  we  scarcely  knew  whether 
the  faith  of  the  church  might  not  have  been 
shaken  for  the  moment  by  the  universal  stress  of 
skepticism.  President  Woolsey  [of  Yale]  was 
giving  the  opening  address.  After  referring  to 
the  prevalent  skepticism,  he  looked  up  with  that 
peculiar  twinkle  of  the  eye  which  we  all  recollect 
— at  once  expressive  of  denial  and  satisfaction — 
and  repeated  the  first  stanza  of  Bishop  Coxe's 
hymn: 

'  'O  where  are  kings  and  empires  now, 

Of  old  that  went  and  came? 
But,  Lord,  thy  church  is  praying  yet, 
A  thousand  years  the  same.' 

"For  a  moment  there  was  silence.  In  another 
moment  the  full  significance  of  the  reference  had 
flashed  on  every  mind,  and  the  response  was  in- 
stantaneous and  universal.  Shouts,  waving  of 
handkerchiefs,  clapping  of  hands,  stamping  of 
feet — I  never  knew  anything  like  it.  Round  af- 
ter round  continued,  until  the  storm  of  applause 
ended  in  a  burst  of  grateful  tears.  No  one 
doubted  that  the  church  still  believed  in  prayer 
and  that  the  tempest  had  passed  without  the  loss 
of  a  sail." 

In  1840,  when  a  young  student  of  twenty-two, 
320 


COXE,  BROOKS,  W.  C.  DOANE 

Mr.  Coxe  gave  to  the  world  his  most  popular 
poetical  work,  a  volume  of  Christian  Ballads. 
Both  at  home  and  in  England  it  met  with  wide- 
spread favor,  which  continued  on  through  the 
years.  In  this  collection,  in  addition  to  the  poem 
just  referred  to,  are  those  fine  stanzas  which  like- 
wise have  found  a  place  in  so  many  hymnals : 

"How  beauteous  were  the  marks  divine, 
That  in  thy  meekness  used  to  shine, 
That  lit  thy  lonely  pathway,  trod 
In  wondrous  love,  O  Lamb  of  God! 

"O  who  like  thee,  so  calm,  so  bright, 
Thou  Son  of  man,  thou  Light  of  Light? 
O  who  like  thee  did  ever  go 
So  patient,  through  a  world  of  woe? 

"O  who  like  thee  so  humbly  bore 
The  scorn,  the  scoffs  of  men,  before? 
So  meek,  forgiving,  God-like,  high, 
So  glorious  in  humility? 

"And  death,  that  sets  the  prisoner  free, 
Was  pang,  and  scoff,  and  scorn  to  thee; 
Yet  love  through  all  thy  torture  glowed, 
And  mercy  with  thy  lifeblood  flowed. 

"O  wondrous  Lord,  my  soul  would  be 
Still  more  and  more  conformed  to  thee, 
And  learn  of  thee,  the  lowly  One, 
And  like  thee,  all  my  journey  run." 

As  he  grew  older  and  came  under  the  full  bur- 
den of  parish  duties,  he  wrote  fewer  poems,  but 
in  the  earlier  years  his  soul  burned  with  poetic 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

fervor.  Following  his  Christian  Ballads  he  pub- 
lished another  volume  of  verse  in  1842.  It  is  here 
that  we  find  his  "Watch-words:  A  Hymn  for 
the  Times,"  glowing  with  the  militant  spirit  of 
the  author.  One  might  easily  suppose  that  it  had 
been  written  expressly  for  the  present  day.  Parts 
of  it  have  long  been  included  in  a  number  of 
hymn-collections.  Never  was  its  use  as  appro- 
priate as  now.  Listen  to  the  challenge  of  these 
lines ! 

"We  are  living — we  are  dwelling — 

In  a  grand  and  awful  time: 
In  an  age,  oh  ages  telling, 
To  be  living  is  sublime. 

"Hark!  the  waking  up  of  nations, 

Gog  and  Magog,  to  the  fray: 
Hark!  what  soundeth  is  Creation's 
Groaning  for  the  latter  day. 

"Worlds  are  charging — heaven  beholding: 

Thou  hast  but  an  hour  to  fight; 
Now,  the  blazoned  Cross  unfolding, 
On! — right  onward,  for  the  right!" 

In  this  same  collection  of  1842,  we  have  that 
little  poem  of  tender  warning  and  appeal,  which 
has  been  so  often  sung,  opening  with  the  stanza: 

"In  the  silent  midnight  watches, 

List, — thy  bosom  door! 
How  it  knocketh,  knocketh,  knocketh, 
Knocketh,  evermore! 
322 


COXE,  BROOKS,  W.  C.  DOANE 

Say  not  'tis  thy  pulse  is  beating: 

'Tis  thy  heart  of  sin; 
'Tis  thy  Saviour  knocks,  and  crieth 

'Rise,  and  let  me  in!' ' 

In  1851  there  appeared  what  many  regard  as 
the  finest  hymn  that  Bishop  Coxe  ever  wrote,  and 
certainly  one  of  the  choicest  of  missionary  lyrics. 
It  was  begun  at  home  on  Good  Friday,  but  laid 
aside  unfinished.  The  next  year  he  visited  Eng- 
land, and  one  day  as  he  was  strolling  through  the 
grounds  of  Magdalen  College,  Oxford,  it  sud- 
denly occurred  to  him  that  he  had  never  com- 
pleted that  hymn.  Taking  a  scrap  of  paper 
and  a  pencil  he  at  once  wrote  the  concluding 
stanzas,  and  the  hymn  went  forth  on  its  career  of 
blessing.  It  is  in  extensive  use,  its  popularity 
being  even  greater  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlan- 
tic than  in  America : 

"Saviour,  sprinkle  many  nations; 

Fruitful  let  thy  sorrows  be; 
By  thy  pains  and  consolations 

Draw  the  Gentiles  unto  thee: 
Of  thy  cross  the  wondrous  story, 

Be  it  to  the  nations  told; 
Let  them  see  thee  in  thy  glory, 

And  thy  mercy  manifold. 

"Far  and  wide,  though  all  unknowing, 
Pants  for  thee  each  mortal  breast; 
Human  tears  for  thee  are  flowing, 
Human  hearts  in  thee  would  rest; 
323 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Thirsting,  as  for  dews  of  even, 
As  the  new-mown  grass  for  rain, 

Thee  they  seek,  as  God  of  heaven, 
Thee,  as  Man  for  sinners  slain. 

"Saviour,  lo!  the  isles  are  waiting, 

Stretched  the  hand,  and  strained  the  sight, 
For  thy  Spirit,  new  creating, 

Love's  pure  flame  and  wisdom's  light. 
Give  the  word,  and  of  the  preacher 

Speed  the  foot,  and  touch  the  tongue, 
Till  on  earth  by  every  creature 

Glory  to  the  Lamb  be  sung." 

It  is  singular  that  for  many  years  the  hymns  of 
Bishop  Coxe  were  in  much  wider  use  outside  the 
Episcopal  Church  than  among  his  own  people. 
This  was  due  to  a  "too  scrupulous  modesty" 
which  led  him  as  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Hymnal  Committee  to  refuse  to  permit  any  of  his 
own  lyrics  to  be  included  in  the  book.  They  have 
been  introduced  into  the  new  hymnal. 

PHILLIPS  BROOKS 

1835-1893 

Phillips  Brooks  was  not  a  poet;  he  was  a 
preacher.  But  he  had  the  soul  of  a  poet,  and 
many  who  were  close  to  him  and  knew  the  bent  of 
his  mind,  believed  that  had  he  chosen  to  devote 
himself  to  purely  literary  work,  he  might  have 
developed  poetical  talents  of  no  mean  order. 
But  what  concerns  us  is  the  fact  that  when  he 


COXE,  BROOKS,  W.  C.  DOANE 

was  a  young  man  of  thirty -two,  he  wrote  one  of 
the  sweetest  Christmas  Carols  in  our  English 
tongue.  It  remained  almost  unknown  for  some 
years,  but  finally  was  "discovered,"  and  now  it 
is  a  universal  favorite.  Unnumbered  multitudes 
who  will  never  hear  the  matchless  voice  of  the 
great  preacher,  or  even  read  one  of  his  sermons, 
are  singing  with  grateful  joy,  "O  little  town  of 
Bethlehem."  And  besides  this,  Phillips  Brooks 
wrote  a  number  of  other  carols,  not  so  well 
known,  but  of  real  beauty,  and  which  deserve  to 
be  brought  out  and  sung,  especially  at  Christmas 
and  Easter. 

These  carols  illustrate  in  a  very  striking  way 
certain  outstanding  features  of  the  writer's  life 
and  ministry.  They  all  center  in  Jesus  Christ. 
They  sing  of  his  birth  or  they  celebrate  his  resur- 
rection, and  they  remind  us  that  the  whole  minis- 
try of  this  apostolic  man  strove  to  exalt  Jesus. 
When  he  was  a  student  in  the  theological  semin- 
ary, he  preached  a  sermon  on  "The  simplicity 
that  is  in  Christ,"  and  when  it  was  over,  a  class- 
mate remarked  that  there  was  very  little  sim- 
plicity in  it  and  no  Christ.  Young  Brooks  de- 
termined that  never  again  should  it  be  said  of  one 
of  his  sermons  that  there  was  no  Christ  in  it. 

He  believed  in  the  divine  Son  of  God  with  all 
his  soul,  he  preached  him,  he  lived  him.  How 
much  this  meant  when  a  few  years  later  he  en- 

325 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

tered  on  his  wonderful  career  at  Trinity  Church, 
Boston!  He  was  now  at  the  center  of  the  Uni- 
tarian movement,  a  movement  that  originally  sig- 
nified little  more  than  a  protest  against  the  for- 
bidding features  of  the  oldtime  Puritan  theology, 
but  which  had  steadily  become  more  radical  till 
Jesus  Christ  had  been  dethroned.  It  claimed 
among  its  adherents  the  intellectual  people  of  the 
city,  nearly  all  the  literary  lights,  the  men  in 
the  leading  pulpits,  and  the  notable  members  of 
the  Harvard  faculty.  The  Evangelicals  were  at 
a  discount  and  they  knew  it.  Christ  and  him 
crucified  was  still  preached  but  with  more  or  less 
timidity.  Those  who  would  give  him  a  secondary 
place  were  in  the  ascendent. 

Suddenly  there  was  heard  in  Boston  a  new 
voice;  the  young  man  was  not  yet  thirty-four. 
Boston-born,  Harvard-trained,  he  had  a  right  to 
speak.  Giant  in  mind  and  heart  as  he  was  in 
body,  he  commanded  attention.  Every  Sunday 
added  to  his  fame.  The  finest  people  in  the  com- 
munity thronged  his  ministry.  Quickly  he  be- 
came the  dominant  pulpit  force  in  all  New  Eng- 
land, and  he  dared  to  preach  Jesus  Christ!  But 
it  was  not  the  Christ  that  had  once  been  set  forth 
there,  the  one  who  for  years  had  been  persistently 
pictured  as  the  wrathful  judge,  with  grim  delight 
devoting  himself  to  sweeping  sinners  into  perdi- 
tion, but  rather  the  Christ,  himself  the  Eternal 

326 


COXE,  BROOKS,  W.  C.  DOANE 

Son,  who  came  to  teach  us  that  God  is  our  Father 
and  all  men  his  children,  and  that  therefore  life  is 
sacred  and  glorious.  The  thought  is  admirably 
expressed  in  his  Christmas  Carol,  "The  Voice  of 
the  Christ-Child."1 

"The  earth  has  grown  cold  with  its  burden  of  care, 

But  at  Christmas  it  always  is  young, 
The  heart  of  the  jewel  burns  lustrous  and  fair, 
And  its  soul  full  of  music  breaks  forth  on  the  air, 
When  the  song  of  the  Angels  is  sung. 

"It  is  coming,  old  earth,  it  is  coming  to-night, 

On  the  snowflakes  which  cover  thy  sod, 
The  feet  of  the  Christ-child  fall  gently  and  white, 
And  the  voice  of  the  Christ-child  tells  out  with 

delight 
That  mankind  are  the  children  of  God. 

"On  the  sad  and  the  lonely,  the  wretched  and  poor, 

That  voice  of  the  Christ-child  shall  fall; 
And  to  every  blind  wanderer  opens  the  door 
Of  a  hope  which  he  dared  not  to  dream  of  before, 
With  a  sunshine  of  welcome  for  all. 

"The  feet  of  the  humblest  may  walk  in  the  field 

Where  the  feet  of  the  holiest  have  trod, 
This,  this  is  the  marvel  to  mortals  revealed, 
When  the  silvery  trumpets  of  Christmas  have  pealed, 
That  mankind  are  the  children  of  God." 

We  find  the  same  spirit  in  his  "A  Christmas 
Carol,"  where  he  sings: 

"Then  let  every  heart  keep  its  Christmas  within, 
Christ's  pity  for  sorrow,  Christ's  hatred  of  sin, 

1  By  permission,  copyright  by  E.  P.  Button  &  Co. 

327 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Christ's  care  for  the  weakest,  Christ's  courage  for 

right, 
Christ's  dread  of  the  darkness,  Christ's  love  of  the 

light; 
Everywhere,  everywhere,  Christmas  to-night." 

Here  was  a  Christ  whom  men  could  love  and 
worship.  Many  who,  like  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes,  had  turned  in  bitter  protest  from  the 
austere  preaching  of  an  earlier  day,  listened  to 
Phillips  Brooks  with  wonder  and  delight.  Hence- 
forth the  evangelical  faith  had  a  new  and  secure 
standing  in  Boston. 

In  the  Brooks  home,  when  Phillips  was  a  boy, 
the  children  were  in  the  habit  of  learning  hymns 
and  reciting  them  when  all  the  family  were  to- 
gether on  Sunday  evening.  In  this  way,  by  the 
time  he  went  to  college  he  had  committed  two 
hundred  hymns  to  memory.  He  had  a  musical 
soul.  The  others  in  the  house  could  tell  when 
he  was  up  in  the  morning,  because  he  was  always 
singing,  and  he  continued  humming  tunes  till 
breakfast. 

He  spent  the  summer  of  1889  in  Japan,  and 
it  was  during  the  voyage  across  the  Pacific  that 
he  wrote  a  number  of  his  carols.  One  of  the  best 
is  "An  Easter  Carol."1  It  finely  illustrates  the 
virile  spirituality  of  the  man : 

"Tomb,  thou  shalt  not  hold  him  longer; 
Death  is  strong,  but  Life  is  stronger; 

1  By  permission,  copyright  by  E.  P.  Button  &  Co. 

328 


COXE,  BROOKS,  W.  C.  DOANE 

Stronger  than  the  dark,  the  light; 
Stronger  then  the  wrong,  the  right. 
Faith  and  Hope  triumphant  say, 
Christ  will  rise  on  Easter  Day. 

"While  the  patient  earth  lies  waking, 
Till  the  morning  shall  be  breaking, 
Shuddering  'neath  the  burden  dread 
Of  her  Master,  cold  and  dead, 
Hark!    she  hears  the  angels  say, 
Christ  will  rise  on  Easter  Day. 

"And  when  sunrise  smites  the  mountains, 
Pouring  light  from  heavenly  fountains, 
Then  the  earth  blooms  out  to  greet 
Once  again  the  blessed  feet; 
And  her  countless  voices  say, 
Christ  has  risen  on  Easter  Day. 

"Up  and  down  our  lives  obedient 
Walk,  dear  Christ,  with  footsteps  radiant, 
Till  those  garden  lives  shall  be 
Fair  with  duties  done  for  thee; 
And  our  thankful  spirits  say, 
Christ  arose  on  Easter  Day." 

We  have  seen  how  the  carols  written  by  Phil- 
lips Brooks  illustrate  his  supreme  devotion  to 
Jesus  Christ.  They  also  show  his  wonderful  love 
for  children,  for  without  such  love  he  could  never 
have  written  them.  Nothing  about  the  man  ap- 
peals to  us  more  than  this.  He  had  no  home — in 
the  full  sense  of  the  word — of  his  own,  and  so  he 
took  to  his  heart  the  children  of  others,  especially 

329 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

those  of  his  brother  William.  His  letters,  writ- 
ten to  them  when  off  on  his  journeys,  were  bub- 
bling over  with  fun.  When  they  were  together, 
he  was  always  eager  for  a  romp.  Several  dolls 
were  kept  at  the  rectory  especially  for  the  en- 
tertainment of  the  young  nieces  when  they  came 
to  see  their  bachelor  uncle.  Christmas — the  real 
Children's  Day — was  a  time  of  untold  joy  for 
him  and  for  them.  How  he  looked  forward  to 
it!  How  he  preached  about  it!  And  the  most 
beautiful  verse  that  he  ever  wrote  was  in  honor 
of  the  Christ-Child,  God's  Christmas  gift  to  the 
world. 

In  the  summer  of  1865  he  went  abroad  for  a 
year  of  travel.  He  planned  to  visit  Palestine  and 
to  spend  Christmas  in  Bethlehem.  On  Sunday, 
December  24,  he  rode  on  horseback  from  Jeru- 
salem to  Bethlehem,  and  before  dark  he  went 
out  to  the  field  where  tradition  says  that  the  shep- 
herds saw  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  That  evening 
he  attended  the  service  held  in  the  ancient  Church 
of  the  Nativity,  and  which  lasted  from  ten  until 
three  the  next  morning.  He  afterward  wrote  a 
letter  to  his  Sunday  school  children  in  Philadel- 
phia. No  wonder  they  were  devoted  to  their 
great-hearted  leader !  "I  do  not  mind  telling  you 
(though  of  course  I  should  not  like  to  have  you 
speak  of  it  to  any  of  the  older  people  of  the 
church)  that  I  am  much  afraid  the  younger  part 

330 


COXE,  BROOKS,  W.  C.  DOANE 

of  my  congregation  has  more  than  its  share  of  my 
thoughts  and  interest." 

"I  cannot  tell  you  how  many  Sunday  morn- 
ings since  I  left  you  I  have  seemed  to  stand  in 
the  midst  of  our  crowded  schoolroom  again,  and 
look  about  and  know  every  face  and  every  class 
just  as  I  used  to;  nor  how  many  times  I  have 
heard  one  of  our  home  hymns  ringing  very 
strangely  and  sweetly  through  the  different 
music  of  some  far-off  country.  I  remember  es- 
pecially on  Christmas  eve,  when  I  was  standing 
in  the  old  church  in  Bethlehem,  close  to  the  spot 
where  Jesus  was  born,  when  the  whole  church  was 
ringing  hour  after  hour  with  the  splendid  hymns 
of  praise  to  God,  how  again  and  again  it  seemed 
as  if  I  could  hear  voices  that  I  knew  well,  telling 
each  other  of  the  'Wonderful  Night'  of  the 
Saviour's  birth,  as  I  had  heard  them  a  year 
before." 

All  this  while  the  words  of  a  new  carol  were 
singing  in  his  heart,  but  it  was  not  till  he  came 
home  to  America  that  he  wrote  them  down.  This 
carol — "O  little  town  of  Bethlehem" — was  first 
sung  at  Phillips  Brooks'  church  as  a  part  of  the 
Sunday  school  Christmas  service  of  1868.  The 
music  for  it  was  written,  at  Mr.  Brooks'  request, 
by  Mr.  Lewis  H.  Redner,  who  was  organist  of 
the  church  and  also  a  teacher  in  the  school. 
Nothing  more  perfectly  suited  to  the  words  could 

331 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

have  been  composed  than  this  tune  "St.  Louis." 
Singularly  enough,  however,  more  than  twenty 
years  passed  before  the  carol  received  anything 
like  general  recognition.  But  to-day  it  has  an  es- 
tablished and  well-merited  place  in  the  hymn 
books  of  the  English-speaking  world.  We  give 
it  in  its  original  form,  with  five  stanzas,  the  fourth 
being  afterward  omitted  by  the  author: 

"O  little  town  of  Bethlehem 

How  still  we  see  thee  lie; 
Above  thy  deep  and  dreamless  sleep 

The  silent  stars  go  by: 
Yet  in  thy  dark  streets  shineth 

The  everlasting  Light; 
The  hopes  and  fears  of  all  the  years 

Are  met  in  thee  to-night. 

"For  Christ  is  born  of  Mary, 

And  gathered  all  above, 
While  mortals  sleep,  the  angels  keep 

Their  watch  of  wondering  love. 
O  morning  stars,  together 

Proclaim  the  holy  birth, 
And  praises  sing  to  God  the  King, 

And  peace  to  men  on  earth! 

"How  silently,  how  silently, 

The  wondrous  gift  is  given! 
So  God  imparts  to  human  hearts 

The  blessings  of  his  heaven. 
No  ear  may  hear  his  coming, 

But  in  this  world  of  sin, 
Where  meek  souls  will  receive  him  still, 
The  dear  Christ  enters  in. 
332 


COXE,  BROOKS,  W.  C.  DOANE 

"Where  children,  pure  and  happy, 

Pray  to  the  Blessed  Child; 
Where  misery  cries  out  to  thee, 

Son  of  the  Mother  mild; 
Where  charity  stands  watching, 

And  faith  holds  wide  the  door, 
The  dark  night  wakes,  the  glory  breaks, 

And  Christmas  comes  once  more. 

"O  holy  Child  of  Bethlehem! 

Descend  to  us,  we  pray; 
Cast  out  our  sin,  and  enter  in, 

Be  born  in  us  to-day. 
We  hear  the  Christmas  angels 

The  great  glad  tidings  tell; 
O  come  to  us,  abide  with  us, 

Our  Lord  Emmanuel." 

The  morning  after  this  great-hearted  lover  of 
the  Christ-Child  went  Home,  the  mother  of  a  lit- 
tle girl  of  five,  who  had  been  one  of  his  special 
favorites,  entered  the  room  where  the  child  was 
playing,  and  holding  the  little  face  between  her 
hands,  said  tearfully,  "Bishop  Brooks  has  gone 
to  heaven."  "Oh  Mamma,"  was  the  reply,  "how 
happy  the  angels  will  be !" 

WILLIAM  CROSWELL  DOANE 

1832-1913 

In  a  preceding  chapter  we  have  spoken  of 
Bishop  George  Washington  Doane  and  the 
hymns  he  wrote.  His  son,  William  Croswell 

1  By  permission,  copyright  by  E.  P.  Button  &  Co. 

333 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Doane,  born  in  1832,  also  entered  the  ministry  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  and  became  a 
distinguished  prelate,  being  bishop  of  Albany 
from  1869  till  his  death  in  1913.  He  has  left  us 
addresses  and  sermons  and  a  few  poems,  but  only 
one  hymn  which  has  come  into  general  use.  In 
1886,  when  the  bicentenary  of  the  City  of  Albany 
was  to  be  celebrated,  Bishop  Doane  was  re- 
quested to  write  a  hymn  which  could  be  sung  on 
the  occasion.  He  did  so,  and  it  was  a  produc- 
tion of  such  unusual  merit  that  it  has  been  wel- 
comed into  the  hymnody  of  the  church  at  large. 
It  is  a  noble  ascription  of  praise  to  the  Triune 
God,  and  in  the  hymnals  it  naturally  comes  in 
the  section  on  "The  Trinity,"  but  it  is  also 
adapted  to  times  of  national  thanksgiving.  It  in- 
cludes five  stanzas;  we  quote  the  first  and  the 
last: 

"Ancient  of  days,  who  sittest  throned  in  glory; 
To  thee  all  knees  are  bent,  all  voices  pray; 
Thy  love  has  blest  the  wide  world's  wondrous  story 
With  light  and  life  since  Eden's  dawning  day. 

"0  Triune  God,  with  heart  and  voice  adoring, 

Praise  we  the  goodness  that  doth  crown  our  days; 
Pray  we,  that  thou  wilt  hear  us,  still  imploring 
Thy  love  and  favor,  kept  to  us  always." 


334 


CHAPTER  XX 


SAMUEL  LONGFELLOW 

1819-1892 

IT  has  often  been  regretfully  noted  that  so 
many  great  poets  have  rarely  employed  their  tal- 
ents in  the  writing  of  hymns.  This  has  been 
truer  in  England  than  in  our  own  country.  But 
even  a  casual  review  of  our  leading  collections 
shows  that  the  large  majority  of  American 
hymns  are  by  writers  who  made  very  little  claim 
to  be  poets.  What  Henry  Wadsworth  Long- 
fellow might  have  done  had  he  turned  his  atten- 
tion in  this  direction,  we  do  not  know.  It  was  a 
task  that  never  appealed  to  him.  But  happily 
he  had  a  brother,  Samuel,  who  possessed  the  true 
poetic  instinct,  and  who  has  given  us  some  of  our 
finest  and  most  widely  used  hymns. 

Samuel  Longfellow,  the  youngest  in  the  fam- 
ily, was  born  in  Portland,  Maine,  in  1819,  twelve 
years  after  Henry.  He  graduated  from  Har- 
vard, and  later,  in  1846,  completed  the  divinity 
course.  He  was  highly  thought  of  by  the  stu- 
dents, especially  for  his  literary  gifts,  and  he  was 
frequently  called  on  to  write  songs  for  various 
college  functions.  While  still  an  undergraduate 
in  theology,  he,  in  conjunction  with  his  classmate 

335 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

and  bosom  friend,  Samuel  Johnson,  prepared  a 
new  hymn  book  for  Unitarian  Churches.  It  was 
a  notable  production,  especially  for  its  poetical 
quality.  The  young  men  searched  far  and  wide 
for  the  very  best.  "Lead,  Kindly  Light,"  clipped 
from  a  newspaper,  was  included,  though  the  edi- 
tors were  ignorant  as  to  the  author.  "Nearer,, 
my  God,  to  Thee,"  which  had  but  recently  been 
introduced  into  America,  also  found  a  place. 
Hymns  by  Whittier,  Sears,  Mrs.  Stowe,  Emer- 
son, Lowell,  and  others,  almost  unknown  in  pub- 
lic worship,  were  printed  in  the  new  book. 

In  the  revision  of  1848,  Mr.  Longfellow's  own 
hymn  on  "Love,"  widely  used  at  the  present  day, 
was  also  included.  It  was  written  before  his  later 
religious  views  were  fully  developed: 

"Beneath  the  shadow  of  the  cross, 

As  earthly  hopes  remove, 
His  new  commandment  Jesus  gives, 
His  blessed  word  of  love. 

"O  bond  of  union,  strong  and  deep! 

O  bond  of  perfect  peace! 
Not  e'en  the  lifted  cross  can  harm, 
If  we  but  hold  to  this. 

"Then,  Jesus,  be  thy  spirit  ours, 
And  swift  our  feet  shall  move 
To  deeds  of  pure  self -sacrifice, 
And  the  sweet  tasks  of  love." 

While  pastor  of  the  Second  Unitarian  Church 
in  Brooklyn,  1853-1860,  he  became  a  pioneer  in 

336 


LONGFELLOW,  JOHNSON 

instituting  a  Vesper  Service,  which  grew  in  popu- 
larity in  other  denominations  as  well  as  his  own. 
For  use,  primarily,  at  the  Second  Church,  he 
prepared  a  small  collection  of  Vespers,  in  which 
lie  included  his  own  hymn,  now  so  widely  sung: 

"Again  as  evening's  shadow  falls, 
We  gather  in  these  hallowed  walls; 
And  vesper  hymn  and  vesper  prayer 
Rise  mingling  on  the  holy  air." 

In  the  same  little  volume  appeared  his  other 
vesper  hymn,  less  familiar  but  scarcely  less  beau- 
tiful: 

"Now  on  land  and  sea  descending, 

Brings  the  night  its  peace  profound; 
Let  our  vesper  hymn  be  blending 

With  the  holy  calm  around. 
Soon  as  dies  the  sunset  glory, 

Stars  of  heaven  shine  out  above, 
Telling  still  the  ancient  story — 

Their  Creator's  changeless  love. 

"Now  our  wants  and  burdens  leaving 

To  his  care,  who  cares  for  all, 
Cease  we  fearing,  cease  we  grieving; 

At  his  touch  our  burdens  fall. 
As  the  darkness  deepens  o'er  us, 

Lo!  eternal  stars  arise; 
Hope  and  Faith  and  Love  rise  glorious, 

Shining  in  the  spirit's  skies." 

In  1864  Mr.  Longfellow  and  Mr.  Johnson 
published  another  collection,  the  Hymns  of  the 
Spirit.  Longfellow  was  reared  in  a  mild  Uni- 

337 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

tarianism,  but  he  steadily  drifted  till  he  became 
a  pure  theist,  rejecting  all  sectarian  names,  even 
Unitarian.  So  intense  were  his  convictions  that 
he  refused  a  place  in  the  new  book  to  the  exquisite 
"Christ  to  the  young  man  said,"  the  hymn  es- 
pecially written  for  his  ordination  by  his  brother, 
because  "he  would  not  by  that  one  name  disturb 
the  simplicity  of  his  faith  in  the  one  Source  of 
the  soul's  higher  life."  He  held  Jesus  as  a  hu- 
man teacher  in  high  and  loving  regard,  but  he 
insisted  that  the  Divine  Spirit  alone  should  be 
the  object  of  man's  devotion.  One  of  his  most 
characteristic  and  widely  used  hymns  is  entitled, 
"Prayer  for  Inspiration" : 

"Holy  Spirit,  Truth  Divine, 
Dawn  upon  this  soul  of  mine; 
Word  of  God  and  inward  Light, 
Wake  my  spirit,  clear  my  sight. 

"Holy  Spirit,  Love  Divine, 
Glow  within  this  heart  of  mine; 
Kindle  every  high  desire; 
Perish  self  in  thy  pure  fire! 

"Holy  Spirit,  Power  Divine, 
Fill  and  nerve  this  will  of  mine; 
By  thee  may  I  strongly  live, 
Bravely  bear,  and  nobly  strive. 

"Holy  Spirit,  Right  Divine, 
King  within  my  conscience  reign; 
Be  my  Law,  and  I  shall  be 
Firmly  bound,  forever  free. 
338 


LONGFELLOW,  JOHNSON 

"Holy  Spirit,  Peace  Divine, 
Still  this  restless  heart  of  mine; 
Speak  to  calm  this  tossing  sea, 
Stayed  in  thy  tranquillity. 

"Holy  Spirit,  Joy  Divine, 
Gladden  thou  this  heart  of  mine; 
In  the  desert  ways  I  sing, 
'Spring,  O  Well,  for  every  spring.' ' 

All  through  life  Samuel  Longfellow  was  so 
overshadowed  by  the  fame  of  his  distinguished 
brother,  that  his  natural  disposition  to  self -dis- 
trust was  intensified.  But  those  who  knew  him 
admired  the  simplicity,  the  sweetness,  and  the 
quiet  serenity  of  his  character,  and  his  utter  de- 
votion to  what  he  believed  to  be  the  truth.  Partly 
on  account  of  poor  health,  his  pastoral  relation- 
ships were  intermittent.  The  last  church  that  he 
served  was  the  Unitarian  at  Germantown,  Phila- 
delphia. While  here,  at  the  opening  of  1882,  his 
close  friend  of  many  years,  Samuel  Johnson,  died, 
and  a  few  weeks  later  his  brother  Henry  was 
taken.  He  felt  the  double  blow  deeply,  but  his 
spiritual  serenity  was  not  shaken.  Returning  to 
his  pulpit  on  the  Sunday  following  his  brother's 
funeral,  he  said:  "I  bring  to  you  a  message  from 
the  chamber  of  death  and  from  the  gateway  of 
the  tomb.  And  that  message  is  Life,  Life  im- 
mortal, Life  uninterrupted,  unarrested,  not  cut 
off." 

339 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

It  is  a  tribute  to  the  genuine  spirituality  of  the 
man,  that  so  many  hymns  by  Samuel  Longfel- 
low are  in  use  to-day  in  our  evangelical  churches. 
The  one  with  the  caption,  "They  looked  unto 
Him,  and  were  lightened,"  is  a  bit  of  autobiog- 
raphy. It  was  the  special  favorite  of  the  author, 
and  it  has  a  wide  circulation : 

"I  look  to  thee  in  every  need, 

And  never  look  in  vain; 
I  feel  thy  strong  and  tender  love, 

And  all  is  well  again: 
The  thought  of  thee  is  mightier  far 
Than  sin  and  pain  and  sorrow  are. 

"Discouraged  in  the  work  of  life, 

Disheartened  by  its  load, 
Shamed  by  its  failures  or  its  fears, 

I  sink  beside  the  road; 
But  let  me  only  think  of  thee, 
And  then  new  heart  springs  up  in  me. 

"Thy  calmness  bends  serene  above, 

My  restlessness  to  still; 
Around  me  flows  thy  quickening  life, 

To  nerve  my  faltering  will: 
Thy  presence  fills  my  solitude; 
Thy  providence  turns  all  to  good. 

"Embosomed  deep  in  thy  dear  love, 

Held  in  thy  law,  I  stand; 
Thy  hand  in  all  things  I  behold, 

And  all  things  in  thy  hand; 
Thou  leadest  me  by  unsought  ways, 
And  turn'st  my  mourning  into  praise." 
340 


LONGFELLOW,  JOHNSON 

SAMUEL  JOHNSON 

1822-1882 

Samuel  Johnson  was  deeply  religious,  as  his 
hymns  clearly  show,  but  his  religion  was  of  the 
theistic  type.  He  is  often  spoken  of  as  a  Uni- 
tarian, but  the  Unitarians  were  altogether  too 
narrow  for  him.  He  never  united  with  any  ec- 
clesiastical body;  he  delighted  in  the  widest  pos- 
sible freedom.  One  of  his  friends  said  of  him 
that  he  was  "the  apostle  of  individualism."  "He 
would  not  belong  to  any  church,  or  subscribe  to 
any  creed,  or  connect  himself  with  any  sect,  or 
be  a  member  of  any  organization  whatever,"  how- 
ever sympathetic  with  its  aims  he  might  be.  But 
in  spite  of  these  peculiarities,  the  church  recog- 
nizes his  genuine  spiritual  vision  by  gratefully  re- 
ceiving some  of  his  sacred  poems  into  her 
hymnals. 

Born  in  Salem,  Massachusetts,  in  1822,  gradu- 
ating from  Harvard  College  and  from  the  Di- 
vinity School,  he  established  an  Independent 
Church  at  Lynn  which  he  served  as  pastor  till 
1870.  He  then  returned  to  Salem,  where  he  gave 
himself  chiefly  to  literary  work,  till  his  death  in 
1882. 

From  his  early  manhood  he  was  interested  in 
hymnology,  from  time  to  time  adding  choice 
pieces  from  his  own  pen  to  the  general  stock. 
Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  two 

341 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

hymn  books,  radical  in  theology  but  of  literary 
merit,  which  he  published  in  cooperation  with 
Samuel  Longfellow.  Poems  of  his  own  appeared 
in  both  collections.  Probably  the  best  hymn  that 
he  ever  composed,  and  one  that  nearly  all  denom- 
inations have  been  glad  to  appropriate,  is  the  one 
written  in  1860,  entitled,  "The  City  of  God." 
Its  exalted  vision,  reminding  us  of  the  glories  that 
John  beheld,  and  its  triumphant  faith  in  the  fu- 
ture of  the  Kingdom,  give  it  an  unusual  appeal: 

"City  of  God,  how  broad  and  far 
Outspread  thy  walls  sublime! 
The  true  thy  chartered  freemen  are, 
Of  every  age  and  clime. 

"One  holy  church,  one  army  strong, 

One  steadfast  high  intent, 
One  working  band,  one  harvest  song, 
One  King  omnipotent! 

"How  purely  hath  thy  speech  come  down 

From  man's  primeval  youth! 
How  grandly  hath  thine  empire  grown 
Of  freedom,  love,  and  truth! 

"How  gleam  thy  watch  fires  through  the  night, 

With  never-fainting  ray! 
How  rise  thy  towers,  serene  and  bright, 
To  meet  the  dawning  day! 

"In  vain  the  surge's  angry  shock, 

In  vain  the  drifting  sands; 
Unharmed  upon  the  eternal  Rock, 
The  eternal  city  stands." 
342 


LONGFELLOW,  JOHNSON 

Dorothea  L.  Dix,  who  devoted  her  life  to  al- 
leviating the  condition  of  the  insane,  paupers, 
prisoners,  and  other  unfortunates,  appealed  on 
one  occasion  to  Mr.  Johnson  to  contribute  a  hymn 
to  a  collection  she  was  preparing  for  use  in  an 
asylum.  The  poem  he  sent  her  has  strengthened 
many  hearts  beyond  the  circle  for  which  it  was 
originally  intended: 

"I  bless  thee,  Lord,  for  sorrows  sent 

To  break  my  dream  of  human  power; 
For  now  my  shallow  cistern's  spent, 
I  find  thy  founts,  and  thirst  no  more. 

"I  take  thy  hand,  and  fears  grow  still; 

Behold  thy  face,  and  doubts  remove; 
Who  would  not  yield  his  wavering  will 
To  perfect  Truth  and  boundless  Love? 

"That  love  this  restless  soul  doth  teach 

The  strength  of  thine  eternal  calm; 
And  tune  its  sad  and  broken  speech 
To  join,  on  earth,  the  angels'  psalm. 

"O  be  it  patient  in  thy  hands, 

And  drawn,  through  each  mysterious  hour, 
To  service  of  thy  pure  commands, 

The  narrow  way  to  Love  and  Power." 


CHAPTER  XXI 
FANNY  CROSBY,  MRS.  PRENTISS 

FRANCES  CROSBY  VAN  ALSTYNE 
(FANNY  CROSBY) 

1820-1915 

OF  all  our  American  hymn  writers,  there  never 
has  been  one  more  thoroughly  lovable  than  Mrs. 
Van  Alstyne,  or  Fanny  Crosby,  as  she  is  fami- 
liarly known.  None  would  claim  that  she  was  a 
poetess  in  any  large  sense.  Her  hymns  (which 
might,  perhaps,  be  more  appropriately  discussed 
under  the  head  of  "Gospel  Songs")  have  been 
severely  criticised.  Dr.  Julian,  the  editor  of  the 
Dictionary  of  Hymnology,  says  that  "they  are, 
with  few  exceptions,  very  weak  and  poor,"  and 
others  insist  that  they  are  "crudely  sentimental." 
Some  hymn  books  will  give  them  no  place  what- 
ever. And  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  Dr.  Duffield, 
author  of  English  Hymns,  wrote  to  his  publish- 
ers shortly  before  his  death,  "I  rather  think  her 
talent  will  stand  beside  that  of  Watts  or  Wes- 
ley, especially  if  we  take  into  consideration  the 
number  of  hymns  she  has  written." 

If  the  worth  of  a  hymn  is  to  be  determined 
solely  by  certain  canons  of  excellence  laid  down 
by  hymn-critics,  probably  few  of  Fanny  Cros- 
by's would  meet  the  test.  But  if  other  consid- 

344 


FANNY  CROSBY,  MRS.  PRENTISS 

erations  also  enter  in,  the  verdict  may  be  differ- 
ent. Her  productions,  in  her  own  and  in  the 
various  languages  into  which  they  have  been 
translated,  are  probably  sung  by  more  voices  than 
those  of  any  other  writer,  save  Isaac  Watts  and 
Charles  Wesley.  At  least  seventy  are  in  com- 
mon use  in  England,  a  far  greater  number  than 
by  any  other  American. 

How  many  souls  have  been  led  to  Christ 
through  her  hymns,  God  only  knows,  but  un- 
doubtedly there  has  been  a  host.  She  prayed 
that  she  might  be  instrumental  in  saving  a  mil- 
lion men ;  may  it  not  be  that  the  prayer  has  been 
or  will  be  answered?  Her  total  production  was 
prodigious,  numbering  scarcely  less  than  eight 
thousand  songs  and  hymns.  For  years  she  was 
under  engagement  with  Biglow  and  Main  to  fur- 
nish them  regularly  three  songs  a  week.  No 
doubt  if  she  had  written  far  less  and  written  bet- 
ter, it  would  have  been  a  gain,  but  her  habit  of 
throwing  her  thoughts  into  rhyme  was  spontane- 
ous, as  natural  as  breathing.  The  astonishing 
fact  is  not  that  she  gave  forth  so  much  of  small 
value,  but  that  so  many  of  her  hymns  have  found 
lodgment  in  the  affections  of  vast  multitudes  of 
Christians  of  various  faiths,  and  are  sung  to-day 
with  joy  and  blessing  the  world  around. 

Fanny  Crosby  was  born  of  humble  parents,  in 
Southeast,  Putnam  County,  New  York,  on 

345 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

March  24,  1820.  Through  an  ignorant  applica- 
tion of  a  poultice  to  her  eyes  when  she  was  six 
weeks  old,  her  sight  was  forever  destroyed.  And 
yet  during  all  her  life  she  was  amazingly  inde- 
pendent in  finding  her  way  about.  Indeed,  she 
would  scarcely  have  realized  that  she  was  blind 
had  not  people  constantly  reminded  her  of  the 
fact.  Her  affliction  never  made  her  gloomy. 
When  she  was  eight  years  old  she  wrote  the 
cheerful  ditty: 

"O  what  a  happy  soul  am  I! 

Although  I  cannot  see, 
I  am  resolved  that  in  this  world 
Contented  I  will  be. 

"How  many  blessings  I  enjoy, 

That  other  people  don't, 
To  weep  and  sigh  because  I'm  blind, 
I  cannot  and  I  won't." 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  she  entered  the  Institution 
for  the  Blind  in  New  York  City,  remaining  there 
as  pupil  and  afterward  as  teacher  for  twenty- 
three  years.  It  was  soon  recognized  that  the  girl 
was  unusually  gifted,  especially  in  the  use  of  her 
pen.  It  became  quite  the  custom  on  state  occa- 
sions to  put  her  forward  to  recite  one  of  her 
poems.  In  1843  several  of  the  pupils  went  to 
Washington  seeking  to  enlist  the  sympathy  of 
Congress  on  behalf  of  the  blind.  At  the  insistent 
request  of  the  members,  Fanny  recited  a  number 

346 


FANNY  CROSBY,  MRS.  PRENTISS 

of  her  poems,  moving  many  to  tears  by  her  sim- 
ple eloquence. 

Though  she  had  grown  up  with  a  strong  reli- 
gious bent,  she  entered  into  a  more  definite  expe- 
rience in  1851,  and  at  that  time  united  with  the 
old  John  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
of  New  York.  Seven  years  later  she  was  mar- 
ried to  Mr.  Alexander  Van  Alstyne.  He  was  a 
teacher  in  the  same  school,  and  like  herself  he  was 
blind.  As  the  author  of  hymns,  however,  she 
always  retained  her  maiden  name. 

While  at  the  institution  she  wrote  a  number  of 
secular  songs,  especially  for  the  popular  tunes 
composed  by  George  F.  Root,  who  for  a  time  was 
an  instructor  at  the  school.  In  this  way  she  con- 
tributed the  title  and  the  words  for  the  well- 
known  "There's  Music  in  the  Air."  But  she  was 
not  contented,  for  she  had  not  yet  found  her  life 
work.  She  left  the  institution  which  for  so  long 
had  been  her  home  in  1858.  It  was  about  this 
time  that  she  met  Mr.  W.  B.  Bradbury,  and 
at  his  request  she  wrote  a  sacred  song — her  first : 

"We  are  going,  we  are  going, 

To  a  home  beyond  the  skies, 
Where  the  fields  are  robed  in  beauty, 
And  the  sunlight  never  dies. 

"We  are  going,  we  are  going, 

And  the  music  we  have  heard, 
Like  the  echo  of  the  woodland, 
Or  the  carol  of  the  bird." 
347 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

She  afterward  said,  "I  had  found  my  mission, 
and  was  the  happiest  creature  in  all  the  land." 
To  the  close  of  her  long  life  she  was  devoted  to 
the  one  task  of  hymn- writing.  As  we  would  nat- 
urally expect  with  one  who  was  shut  away  from 
much  that  was  passing  in  the  outside  world,  her 
hymns  are  the  outgrowth  of  her  own  experience, 
and  to  an  unusual  extent  reflect  the  changing 
phases  of  that  experience.  Indeed,  it  would  not 
be  difficult  from  a  simple  study  of  these  hymns  to 
write  her  spiritual  biography.  Her  unfailing 
cheerfulness,  her  childlike  trust  in  the  divine 
watchcare  over  her  own  life,  enabled  her  to  say 
to  others : 

"God  will  take  care  of  you,  be  not  afraid, 
He  is  your  safeguard  through  sunshine  and  shade; 
Tenderly  watching,  and  keeping  his  own, 
He  will  not  leave  you  to  wander  alone." 

Such  hymns  as:  "Blessed  assurance,  Jesus  is 
mine,"  "Jesus,  keep  me  near  the  Cross,"  "Sa- 
viour, more  than  life  to  me,"  and  many  others 
equally  well  known,  were  born  in  her  own  heart- 
life. 

Fanny  Crosby  was  deeply  interested  in  gospel 
work  for  men,  especially  among  the  poor  fellows 
who  were  down  but  not  out.  "You  can't  save  a 
man  by  telling  him  of  his  sins,"  she  used  to  say. 
"He  knows  them  already.  Tell  him  there  is  par- 
don and  love  waiting  for  him."  In  his  admirable 

348 


FANNY  CROSBY,  MRS.  PRENTISS 

Story  of  Ninety-Four  Years,  the  Rev.  S.  Tre- 
vena  Jackson  gives  the  account  of  how  "Rescue 
the  Perishing"  came  to  be  written,  as  he  received 
it  from  the  lips  of  Fanny  Crosby.  "It  was  writ- 
ten in  the  year  1869,  when  I  was  forty-nine  years 
old.  Many  of  my  hymns  were  written  after  ex- 
periences in  New  York  mission  work.  This  one 
was  thus  written.  I  was  addressing  a  large  com- 
pany of  working  men  one  hot  summer  evening, 
when  the  thought  kept  forcing  itself  on  my  mind 
that  some  mother's  boy  must  be  rescued  that 
night  or  not  at  all.  So  I  made  a  pressing  plea 
that  if  there  was  a  boy  present  who  had  wandered 
from  his  mother's  home  and  teaching,  he  would 
come  to  me  at  the  close  of  the  service.  A  young 
man  of  eighteen  came  forward  and  said,  'Did  you 
mean  me  ?  I  promised  my  mother  to  meet  her  in 
heaven,  but  as  I  am  now  living  that  will  be  im- 
possible.' We  prayed  for  him  and  he  finally 
arose  with  a  new  light  in  his  eyes  and  exclaimed 
in  triumph,  'Now  I  can  meet  my  mother  in 
heaven,  for  I  have  found  God !' 

"A  few  days  before,  Mr.  Doane,  the  musical 
composer,  had  sent  me  the  subject,  'Rescue  the 
Perishing,'  and  while  I  sat  there  that  evening,  the 
line  came  to  me,  'Rescue  the  Perishing,  care  for 
the  dying.'  I  could  think  of  nothing  else  that 
night.  When  I  arrived  home  I  went  to  work  on 
the  hymn  at  once,  and  before  I  retired  it  was 

349 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

ready  for  the  melody.  The  next  day  my  song 
was  written  out  and  forwarded  to  Mr.  Doane, 
who  wrote  the  beautiful  and  touching  music  as  it 
now  stands  to  my  hymn." 

"Rescue  the  perishing, 

Care  for  the  dying, 
Snatch  them  in  pity  from  sin  and  the  grave; 

Weep  o'er  the  erring  one, 

Lift  up  the  fallen, 
Tell  them  of  Jesus  the  mighty  to  save." 

The  great  meetings  held  by  Moody  and  Sankey 
gave  wings  to  Fanny  Crosby's  hymns  both  in 
England  and  America.  On  the  other  side  of  the 
sea,  in  particular,  where  more  conservative  tastes 
had  prevailed,  these  warm-hearted  songs  with 
their  simple,  pleasing  melodies,  were  a  revelation, 
and  they  awakened  a  popular  enthusiasm  which 
is  felt  to  this  day. 

Of  all  her  hymns,  Fanny  Crosby's  own  favor- 
ite was  "Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus,"  and  the  gen- 
eral verdict  agrees  with  her.  One  day  in  1868, 
Mr.  Doane  said  to  her,  "Fanny,  I  have  a  tune  I 
would  like  to  have  you  write  words  for."  He 
played  it  over  and  she  exclaimed,  "That  says 
'Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus!' '  She  went  to  her 
room,  and  in  half  an  hour  the  hymn  was  finished. 
It  has  gone  everywhere;  it  knows  no  limitations 
of  race  or  sect.  It  is  sung  in  many  languages, 
and  at  funerals  in  Roman  Catholic  as  well  as  in 

350 


FANNY  CROSBY,  MRS.  PRENTISS 

Protestant  churches.  Multitudes  who  never 
heard  of  Fanny  Crosby  know  and  love  this  song. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Jackson  was  taking  her  to  his 
home  for  a  visit:  "Our  hackman  listened  to  his 
passenger  with  close  attention,  and  when  I  in- 
formed him  that  she  was  Fanny  Crosby,  who  had 
written  'Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus,'  he  took  off 
his  hat  and  wept.  He  called  a  policeman  and 
said,  'This  is  Miss  Fanny  Crosby,  who  wrote 
'Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus.'  I  want  you  to  help 
this  young  man  to  get  her  safely  to  the  train.'  'I 
sure  will,'  said  the  policeman.  Then,  quite  sadly, 
he  added,  'We  sang  that  hymn  at  my  little  girl's 
funeral  last  week.'  Aunt  Fanny  took  the  po- 
liceman's arm  and  said,  'I  call  all  the  policemen 
and  railroad  men  "my  boys."  They  take  such 
good  care  of  me  wherever  I  go.'  The  officer  as- 
sisted her  with  the  greatest  care  and  as  she  took 
her  seat  in  the  train  she  said  to  him,  'God  bless 
your  dear  heart.  You  shall  have  my  prayers.  Tell 
your  dear  wife  that  your  little  daughter  is  safe  in 
the  arms  of  Jesus.'  The  great  strong  policeman 
turned  away  wiping  the  tears  from  his  eyes." 

It  is  fortunate  that  from  the  first  this  beautiful 
hymn  has  been  wedded  to  a  melody  of  peculiar 
sweetness  and  one  so  perfectly  suited  to  the 
tender  pathos  of  the  words.  At  many  public  ob- 
sequies, notably  at  Grant's  funeral,  the  tune  has 
been  a  favorite  with  the  bands. 

351 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Frances  Ridley  Havergal  and  Fanny  Crosby 
never  met,  but  each  was  an  ardent  admirer  of 
the  other,  and  no  message  that  Miss  Crosby  ever 
received  was  treasured  more  highly  than  these 
lines  from  Miss  Havergal : 

"Dear  blind  sister  over  the  sea, 
An  English  heart  goes  forth  to  thee. 
We  are  linked  by  a  cable  of  faith  and  song 
Flashing  bright  sympathy  swift  along: 
One  in  the  East  and  one  in  the  West 
Singing  for  Him  whom  our  souls  love  best; 
'Singing  for  Jesus,'  telling  his  love 
All  the  way  to  our  home  above, 
Where  the  severing  sea,  with  its  restless  tide, 
Never  shall  hinder  and  never  divide. 
Sister!  What  shall  our  meeting  be, 
When  our  hearts  shall  sing,  and  our  eyes  shall  see!" 

One  summer  Fanny  Crosby  was  visiting  at 
Northfield.  At  an  evening  gathering  when  she 
with  others  was  on  the  platform,  several  had 
spoken  of  their  Christian  experience,  and  pres- 
ently Mr.  Moody  turned  to  Miss  Crosby,  "Now 
we  want  a  word  from  you."  For  a  moment  she 
hesitated,  but  when  he  pressed  her  she  quietly 
arose  and  said:  "There  is  one  hymn  I  have  writ- 
ten which  has  never  been  published.  I  call  it  my 
Soul's  poem,  and  sometimes  when  I  am  troubled 
I  repeat  it  to  myself,  for  it  brings  comfort  to  my 
heart."  And  she  recited  the  lines  which  have 
since  become  so  familiar: 

352 


FANNY  CROSBY,  MRS.  PRENTISS 

"Some  day  the  silver  cord  will  break, 

And  I  no  more  as  now  shall  sing: 
But,  O  the  joy  when  I  awake 

Within  the  palace  of  the  King! 
And  I  shall  see  him  face  to  face, 
And  tell  the  story — Saved  by  Grace." 

Those  who  were  present  and  saw  Miss  Crosby, 
her  uplifted  face  with  those  sightless  orbs  marked 
by  a  strange  wistfulness,  will  never  forget  the 
pathetic  emphasis  of  the  refrain, 

"And  I  shall  see  him  face  to  face!" 

It  was  on  Friday  morning,  February  12,  1915, 
on  the  threshold  of  her  ninety-fifth  birthday,  that 
the  yearning  of  her  heart  was  gratified  and 
she  saw  Him  face  to  face. 

ELIZABETH  PRENTISS 

1818-1878 

The  hymn,  "More  love  to  thee,  O  Christ," 
could  have  been  written  only  by  one  who  had 
entered  into  unusually  close  fellowship  with  the 
Lord  Jesus.  Mrs.  Prentiss  was  the  daughter  of 
Edward  Payson,  one  of  the  most  gifted  and  one 
of  the  saintliest  men  that  the  American  ministry 
has  ever  known.  In  such  reverence  was  his  mem- 
ory held  that  for  years  after  his  death  his  name 
was  given  to  so  many  children  in  baptism  that  at 
one  time  there  were  "hundreds  if  not  thousands" 
of  Edward  Paysons. 

353 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

The  daughter  Elizabeth,  born  in  1818,  inher- 
ited many  of  the  characteristics  of  her  father, 
and  even  as  a  young  woman  she  enjoyed  a  re- 
markable religious  experience.  She  married  the 
Rev.  George  L.  Prentiss,  who  for  some  years  was 
a  pastor  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  later 
became  a  professor  in  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary  of  New  York.  Dr.  Theodore  L.  Cuy- 
ler,  who  was  a  frequent  visitor  in  the  home,  de- 
scribes Mrs.  Prentiss  as  "a  very  bright-eyed 
little  woman,  with  a  keen  sense  of  humor,  who 
cared  more  to  shine  in  her  own  happy  household 
than  in  a  wide  circle  of  society." 

She  was  a  lifelong  invalid.  Even  as  a  child  she 
never  knew  what  it  was  to  feel  well,  and  the  fol- 
lowing years  brought  no  relief.  Chronic  insom- 
nia led  to  the  most  intense  suffering  in  both  body 
and  mind,  but  in  spite  of  it  all  she  did  a  great 
work.  All  who  met  her  commented  on  her  radi- 
ant Christian  life,  but  few  knew  the  toilsome  road 
she  had  traveled.  As  she  once  said,  "Much  of  my 
experience  of  life  has  cost  me  a  great  price  and 
I  wish  to  use  it  for  strengthening  and  comforting 
other  souls";  and  so  she  wrote  Stepping  Heav- 
enward, to  cheer  and  help  younger  pilgrims. 

As  we  listen  to  her  life-story,  we  cannot  help 
wondering  if  the  Master  ever  had  a  more  devoted 
disciple  than  Elizabeth  Prentiss.  He  was  the 
center  of  her  being.  Her  thoughts,  her  conver- 

354 


FANNY  CROSBY,  MRS.  PRENTISS 

sations,  her  familiar  letters,  all  her  writings,  were 
full  of  Christ.  In  her  volume  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty-three  Religious  Poems,  more  than  a 
hundred  are  addressed  to  him  or  have  to  do  with 
his  ministry.  After  her  death  they  found  on  the 
flyleaf  of  one  of  her  favorite  books  these  lines, 
which  are  only  an  example  of  what  she  was  often 
writing: 

"One  hour  with  Jesus !  How  its  peace  outweighs 
The  ravishment  of  earthly  love  and  praise; 
How  dearer  far,  emptied  of  self  to  lie 
Low  at  his  feet,  and  catch,  perchance,  his  eye, 
Alike  content  when  he  may  give  or  take, 
The  sweet,  the  bitter,  welcome  for  his  sake!" 

Love  to  Christ  was  the  keynote  of  her  life. 
"To  love  Christ  more,"  she  said,  "  is  the  deepest 
need,  the  constant  cry  of  my  soul.  .  .  .  Out  in 
the  woods,  and  on  my  bed,  and  out  driving,  when 
I  am  happy  and  busy,  and  when  I  am  sad  and 
idle,  the  whisper  keeps  going  up  for  more  love, 
more  love,  more  love !"  One  of  her  most  beauti- 
ful poems,  and  one  meriting  a  place  in  our  hymn 
books,  is  entitled,  "Christ's  Invitation."  Like 
most  of  her  compositions,  it  is  undated,  but  it 
seems  to  have  been  written  prior  to  "More  Love 
to  Thee,  O  Christ,"  and  the  two  may  be  linked 
together,  the  one  as  the  Master's  call,  the  other 
as  the  disciple's  response.  Both  are  written  in 
the  same  meter: 

355 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"Press  close,  my  child  to  me, 

Closer  to  me; 
Earth  hath  no  resting  place 

Ready  for  thee! 
Straight  to  my  shelter  flee, 
Press  close,  my  child,  to  me, 

Closer  to  me! 

"Love,  pleasure,  riches,  fame, 

All  may  be  thine, 
And  the  immortal  soul 

Still  will  repine; 
I  must  be  all  to  thee, 
Press  close,  my  child,  to  me, 

Closer  to  me! 

"Life  may  for  thee  contend, 

Hard  toil  and  care 
Strive  to  divide  from  me, 

Crowd  everywhere; 
Let  them  my  servants  be — 
Press  thou,  my  child,  to  me, 

Closer  to  me! 

"Grief  of  thy  heart  may  make 

A  desert  drear, 
Yet  there  my  suff'rers  learn 

My  voice  to  hear, 
Calling  with  earnest  plea, 
Press  close,  my  child,  to  me, 

Closer  to  me! 

"Come,  then,  my  child,  to  me, 

Make  thyself  mine; 
I  give  myself  to  thee, 
I  will  be  thine. 
356 


FANNY  CROSBY,  MRS.  PRENTISS 

Joy,  grief  and  care  shall  be 
Thus  binding  thee  to  me, 
Closer  to  me!" 

The  year  1856,  in  the  life  of  Mrs.  Prentiss,  was 
overshadowed  by  clouds  of  anxiety  and  distress. 
It  was  a  time  of  great  bodily  suffering  and  she 
was  likewise  passing  through  sharp  spiritual  con- 
flicts. Her  best-known  hymn,  "More  Love  to 
Thee,  O  Christ,"  written  in  this  year,  reflects  in 
a  number  of  its  lines  the  experience  of  those  try- 
ing days.  Dr.  Prentiss  says  of  it:  "Like  most  of 
her  hymns,  it  is  simply  a  prayer  put  into  the  form 
of  verse.  She  wrote  it  so  hastily  that  the  last 
stanza  was  left  incomplete,  one  line  having  been 
added  in  pencil  when  it  was  printed.  She  did 
not  show  it,  not  even  to  her  husband,  until  many 
years  after  it  was  written ;  and  she  wondered  not 
a  little  that,  when  published,  it  met  with  so  much 
favor." 

It  is  sung  to-day  wherever  the  English  lan- 
guage is  spoken,  and  it  has  been  translated  into 
foreign  tongues,  including  the  Arabic  and  Chi- 
nese. On  that  beautiful  day  in  August,  1878, 
just  as  the  sun  was  setting,  when  a  company  of 
friends  were  gathered  about  the  open  grave  of 
this  sainted  woman,  it  was  very  fitting  that  at 
the  close  of  the  service  they  should  sing  this 
hymn,  which  was  not  only  the  supreme  cry 
of  her  own  soul,  but  which  has  voiced  the  eager 

357 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

yearning  of  an  unnumbered  multitude  of  fellow- 
disciples  : 

"More  love  to  thee,  O  Christ, 

More  love  to  thee! 
Hear  thou  the  prayer  I  make, 

On  bended  knee; 
This  is  my  earnest  plea, 
More  love,  O  Christ,  to  thee, 

More  love  to  thee! 

"Once  earthly  joy  I  craved, 

Sought  peace  and  rest; 
Now  thee  alone  I  seek, 

Give  what  is  best; 
This  all  my  prayer  shall  be, 
More  love,  O  Christ,  to  thee, 

More  love  to  thee! 

"Let  sorrow  do  its  work, 

Send  grief  and  pain; 
Sweet  are  thy  messengers, 

Sweet  their  refrain, 
When  they  can  sing  with  me, 
More  love,  O  Christ,  to  thee, 

More  love  to  thee! 

"Then  shall  my  latest  breath 

Whisper  thy  praise; 
This  is  the  parting  cry 

My  heart  shall  raise, 
This  still  its  prayer  shall  be, 
More  love,  O  Christ,  to  thee, 

More  love  to  thee!" 


358 


CHAPTER  XXII 

HUNTER,  EVEREST,  WOLCOTT, 
MARCH,  PHELPS,  HOPPER,  MRS. 
SLADE,  MRS.  THOMSON,  GILMORE, 
GLADDEN,  BABCOCK,  SHURTLEFF 

WILLIAM  HUNTER 

1811-1877 

"My  heavenly  home  is  bright  and  fair: 
Nor  pain  nor  death  can  enter  there; 
Its  glittering  towers  the  sun  outshine; 
That  heavenly  mansion  shall  be  mine." 

THIS  well-loved  hymn,  which  for  so  many 
years  multitudes  of  pilgrims  to  the  City  of  the 
Great  King  have  been  singing  with  joyous 
hearts,  was  written  in  1838.  The  author,  Rev. 
William  Hunter,  D.D.,  was  born  in  Ireland  in 
1811.  He  came  to  this  country  as  a  youth,  en- 
tered the  Methodist  Episcopal  ministry,  taught 
for  a  time  in  Alleghany  College,  and  for  some 
years  was  editor  of  the  Pittsburgh  Christian 
Advocate.  He  wrote  many  hymns,  though  this  is 
the  only  one  now  in  use.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  committee  of  twelve  appointed  by  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  of  1876  to  revise  the  Church 
Hymnal,  and  he  lived  to  practically  complete 

359 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

his  part  of  the  task,  passing  to  the  heavenly  home 
in  October,  1877. 

CHARLES  WILLIAM  EVEREST 

1814-1877 

There  are  several  interesting  facts  connected 
with  the  hymn,  "  'Take  up  thy  cross,'  the  Saviour 
said." 

It  was  written  by  a  nineteen-year-old  boy,  be- 
fore he  entered  college ;  it  found  its  way  to  Eng- 
land, where  it  met  with  great  favor;  it  was  wel- 
comed to  most  English  hymnals,  being  one  of  the 
very  few  American  productions  to  be  admitted 
to  Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern;  and  while 
Britons  refer  to  it  as  "a  beautiful  American 
hymn,"  it  has  had  far  less  recognition  in  the  land 
of  its  birth,  though  without  question  possessing 
high  merit. 

The  author,  Rev.  Charles  W.  Everest,  was 
born  at  East  Windsor,  Connecticut,  in  1814.  He 
graduated  from  Trinity  College,  Hartford,  in 
1838,  and  entering  the  ministry  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  a 
parish  near  New  Haven,  where  he  remained  for 
thirty-one  years,  also  conducting  a  rectory  school 
most  of  the  time.  The  hymn  to  which  we  have 
referred  was  first  published  in  1833  in  a  small 
volume  entitled,  Visions  of  Death,  and  Other 
Poems.  Various  alterations  have  been  intro- 

360 


RECENT  HYMN  WRITERS 

duced  since  then.    The  hymn  in  its  original  form, 
with  the  five  stanzas,  is  as  follows: 

"  'Take  up  thy  cross,'  the  Saviour  said, 

Tf  thou  wouldst  my  disciple  be; 
Take  up  thy  cross  with  willing  heart, 
And  humbly  follow  after  me.' 

"Take  up  thy  cross;  let  not  its  weight 
Fill  thy  weak  soul  with  vain  alarm; 
His  strength  shall  bear  thy  spirit  up, 
And  brace  thy  heart  and  nerve  thine  arm. 

"Take  up  thy  cross,  nor  heed  the  shame; 

And  let  thy  foolish  pride  be  still; 
Thy  Lord  refused  not  e'en  to  die 
Upon  a  cross  on  Calvary's  hill. 

"Take  up  thy  cross,  then,  in  his  strength, 

And  calmly  sin's  wild  deluge  brave; 
'Twill  guide  thee  to  a  better  home, 
It  points  to  glory  o'er  the  grave. 

"Take  up  thy  cross,  and  follow  on, 

Nor  think  till  death  to  lay  it  down; 
For  only  he  who  bears  the  cross 

May  hope  to  wear  the  glorious  crown." 

SAMUEL  WOLCOTT 

1813-1886 

Samuel  Wolcott  had  passed  his  fifty -fifth 
birthday  before  he  wrote  a  line  of  poetry.  He 
supposed  that  the  making  of  a  hymn  was  as  far 
beyond  him  as  the  working  of  a  miracle.  But  one 
day  he  was  suddenly  impelled  to  experiment.  To 
his  utter  amazement  he  succeeded,  and  during 

361 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

the  next  few  years  he  composed  more  than  two 
hundred  hymns. 

In  1869,  while  he  was  pastor  of  the  Plymouth 
Congregational  Church  in  Cleveland,  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Associations  of  Ohio  met  in  the 
city.  Directly  over  the  platform,  in  letters  of 
evergreen,  were  the  words,  "Christ  for  the  World, 
and  the  World  for  Christ."  Probably  no  one  in 
the  convention  was  stirred  by  the  motto  as  was 
Dr.  Wolcott.  As  a  young  man  he  himself  had 
been  a  foreign  missionary.  Because  of  ill  health 
he  had  been  compelled  to  return  to  America,  but 
his  soul  burned  with  evangelistic  zeal.  He  had 
written  only  one  hymn  in  his  life,  but  now  he  was 
inspired  to  try  again.  Of  how  well  he  succeeded, 
the  whole  church  is  a  grateful  witness,  for  the 
fruit  of  his  effort  was  this  noble  missionary  lyric : 

"Christ  for  the  world  we  sing; 
The  world  to  Christ  we  bring 

With  loving  zeal; 
The  poor  and  them  that  mourn, 
The  faint  and  overborne, 
Sin-sick  and  sorrow-worn, 

Whom  Christ  doth  heal. 

"Christ  for  the  world  we  sing; 
The  world  to  Christ  we  bring 

With  fervent  prayer: 
The  wayward  and  the  lost, 
By  restless  passions  tossed, 
Redeemed  at  countless  cost 
From  dark  despair. 
362 


RECENT  HYMN  WRITERS 

"Christ  for  the  world  we  sing; 
The  world  to  Christ  we  bring 

With  one  accord; 
With  us  the  work  to  share, 
With  us  reproach  to  dare, 
With  us  the  cross  to  bear, 
For  Christ  our  Lord. 

"Christ  for  the  world  we  sing; 
The  world  to  Christ  we  bring 

With  joyful  song; 
The  newborn  souls,  whose  days 
Reclaimed  from  error's  ways, 
Inspired  with  hope  and  praise, 
To  Christ  belong." 

It  will  be  noticed  that  this  hymn  is  as  well 
adapted  to  Home  as  to  Foreign  Missions.  Dr. 
Wolcott  refused  to  make  any  distinction.  In  the 
fullest  and  the  broadest  sense  he  was  committed 
to  World  Evangelization. 

DANIEL  MAKCH 

1816-1909 

"Hark,  the  voice  of  Jesus  calling, 
'Who  will  go  and  work  to-day? 
Fields  are  white,  and  harvests  waiting, 

Who  will  bear  the  sheaves  away?' 
Loud  and  long  the  Master  calleth, 

Rich  reward  he  offers  free; 
Who  will  answer,  gladly  saying, 
'Here  am  I,  send  me,  send  me'?" 

Rev.  Daniel  March,  D.D.,  who  wrote  the 
hymn  opening  with  this  stanza,  was  born  in  Mill- 
bury,  Massachusetts,  in  1816.  He  entered  the 

363 


ministry  and  served  several  Presbyterian  and 
Congregational  churches.  So  far  as  we  have  any 
record  this  is  his  only  hymn,  and  its  writing  came 
about  in  a  peculiar  way.  Many  of  our  best 
hymns  are  the  response  to  a  sudden  impulse,  and 
were  composed  almost  as  swiftly  as  the  pen  could 
glide  over  the  paper.  Dr.  Nutter's  Hymn 
Studies  has  this  note:  "In  1868  the  author  [Dr. 
March]  was  a  pastor  in  Philadelphia.  On  the 
18th  of  October  he  was  to  preach  to  the  Chris- 
tian Association  of  that  city.  At  a  late  hour  he 
learned  that  one  of  the  hymns  selected  was  not 
suitable.  His  text  was,  'Here  am  I;  send  me.' 
In  'great  haste,'  he  says,  he  wrote  the  hymn,  and 
it  was  sung  from  the  manuscript." 

Little  did  the  preacher  think  that  his  carefully 
prepared  sermon  would  soon  be  forgotten,  but 
that  the  fugitive  song,  product  of  the  passing  mo- 
ment, would  live  on  through  the  years,  to  be  sung 
by  multitudes  then  unborn,  inspiring  many  to  do 
their  best  in  the  service  of  the  Master. 

SYLVANUS  DRYDEN  PHELPS 

1816-1895 

On  his  seventieth  birthday,  May  15,  1886,  Dr. 
Phelps  received  a  note  of  congratulation  from 
Dr.  Robert  Lowry,  the  well-known  hymn-writer, 
which  read:  "It  is  worth  living  seventy  years  even 
if  nothing  comes  of  it  but  one  such  hymn  as, 

364 


RECENT  HYMN  WRITERS 

'Saviour!  thy  dying  love 

Thou  gavest  me; 
Nor  should  I  aught  withhold, 

Dear  Lord,  from  thee.' 

"Happy  is  the  man  who  can  produce  one  song 
which  the  world  will  keep  on  singing  after  its 
author  shall  have  passed  away." 

Dr.  Phelps  made  a  notable  record  in  the  Bap- 
tist ministry,  serving  as  pastor  of  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church  of  New  Haven  for  twenty-eight 
years.  He  traveled  extensively  and  wrote  many 
books.  He  composed  a  number  of  hymns,  but 
only  the  one  referred  to  above  has  come  into  gen- 
eral use.  It  long  since  gained  wide  popularity  in 
our  own  land,  and  it  has  been  translated  into 
foreign  languages.  In  his  old  age  the  author's 
heart  was  gladdened  by  the  messages  constantly 
reaching  him  from  near  and  distant  parts,  tell- 
ing of  the  good  that  his  hymn  had  done;  of  the 
Christians  it  had  inspired  to  seek  a  larger  spirit- 
ual experience,  and  of  the  many  whom  it  had 
been  directly  instrumental  in  leading  to  Christ. 

EDWARD  HOPPER 

1818-1888 

"Jesus,  Saviour,  pilot  me 
Over  life's  tempestuous  sea; 
Unknown  waves  before  me  roll, 
Hiding  rock  and  treacherous  shoal; 
Chart  and  compass  came  from  thee; 
Jesus,  Saviour,  pilot  me." 
365 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

It  was  a  heavenly,  though  unhappily,  not  an 
abiding,  inspiration  that  gave  to  the  world  this 
beautiful  hymn.  In  its  original  form  it  had  six 
stanzas,  of  which  only  the  first,  fifth,  and  sixth 
have  been  retained  in  common  use. 

Dr.  Hopper  wrote  many  other  hymns,  but  they 
have  not  lived.  Three  stanzas  are  his  total  con- 
tribution to  the  hymnody  of  the  church,  but  it  is 
a  contribution  of  such  solid  and  enduring  worth 
that  Christians  far  and  wide  hold  him  in  grateful 
remembrance.  He  was  born  in  New  York  City 
in  1818,  entered  the  Presbyterian  ministry,  and 
after  serving  churches  elsewhere  returned  to 
New  York  in  1870,  where  he  became  pastor  of 
the  Church  of  the  Sea  and  Land,  remaining  there 
till  his  death  in  1888.  His  work  among  the  sea- 
farers was  notably  successful,  many  sailors  at- 
tending his  services.  The  same  gospel  that  he 
preached  to  the  mariners  is  sung  in  his  well- 
known  hymn.  The  end  of  his  life  came  suddenly. 
He  was  found  dead,  sitting  in  his  study-chair, 
pencil  in  hand.  On  the  sheet  before  him  were 
some  freshly  written  lines  on  "Heaven,"  the  last 
subject  that  engaged  his  thought. 

MARY  B.  C.  SLADE     MARY  ANN  THOMSON 

1826-1882  1834- 

Two  of  our  most  popular  missionary  hymns 
are  from  the  pens  of  women: 

366 


RECENT  HYMN  WRITERS 

"From  all  the  dark  places 
Of  earth's  heathen  races, 
O  see  how  the  thick  shadows  fly!" 
and 

"O  Zion,  haste,  thy  mission  high  fulfilling, 
To  tell  to  all  the  world  that  God  is  Light." 

The  first  was  written  by  Mrs.  Slade,  whose 
husband  was  a  pastor  in  Fall  River,  Massachu- 
setts. Born  in  1826,  she  died  in  1882,  being  es- 
pecially remembered  as  the  editor  for  several 
years  of  the  children's  magazine,  Wide  Awake. 

The  second  of  these  hymns  is  the  work  of  Mrs. 
Mary  Ann  Thomson.  She  was  born  in  London 
in  1834,  and  coming  to  America  was  married  to 
Mr.  John  Thomson,  who  became  the  librarian 
of  the  Philadelphia  Free  Library.  She  wrote 
more  than  forty  hymns  altogether,  several  of 
which  are  in  the  collection  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  of  which  she  is  a  member.  She  is 
still  living  in  Philadelphia,  in  a  serene  old  age. 

Both  of  these  hymns  have  come  into  popular 
use  not  only  by  reason  of  their  intrinsic  merits, 
but  also  because  they  have  been  wedded  to  such 
stirring  and  melodious  tunes  that  it  has  been  a  de- 
light to  sing  them. 

JOSEPH  HENRY  GILMORE 

1834-1918 

To  have  written  a  hymn  which  has  been  trans- 
lated into  various  foreign  tongues  and  is  sung 

367 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

around  the  world,  which  has  brought  new  trust 
and  courage  to  the  living  and  has  strengthened 
the  faith  of  the  dying,  is  enough  to  give  the 
author  an  assured  place  in  the  affection  and  grati- 
tude of  the  Christian  Church. 

Joseph  Henry  Gilmore  was  born  in  Boston 
in  1834,  graduated  from  Brown  University  at  the 
head  of  his  class,  took  a  course  in  theology,  for 
a  time  was  private  secretary  to  his  father,  Gov- 
ernor Gilmore  of  New  Hampshire,  served  brief 
terms  as  pastor  of  Baptist  churches,  and  in  1868 
became  the  professor  of  English  Literature  in 
Rochester  University.  He  remained  there  till 
his  death  in  1918. 

He  composed  several  hymns,  but  only  one  of 
any  note.  He  has  given  us  an  account  of  how  it 
came  to  be  written.  It  was  in  the  spring  of  1862. 
"I  had  been  talking,  at  the  Wednesday  evening 
lecture  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  [of  Phila- 
delphia], about  the  twenty-third  Psalm,  and  had 
been  especially  impressed  with  the  blessedness  of 
being  led  by  God,  of  the  mere  fact  of  his  leader- 
ship, altogether  apart  from  the  way  in  which  he 
led  us  and  what  he  was  leading  us  to."  On  re- 
turning to  his  place  of  entertainment  the  thought 
so  grew  upon  him  that  he  took  out  a  pencil,  wrote 
the  hymn  just  as  it  stands  to-day  and  handed  it 
to  his  wife,  thinking  no  more  of  it.  "She  sent  it, 
without  my  knowledge,  to  the  Watchman  and  Re- 

368 


RECENT  HYMN  WRITERS 

flector,  and  there  it  first  appeared  in  print.  Three 
years  later  I  went  to  Rochester,  New  York,  to 
preach  for  the  Second  Baptist  Church,  .  .  .  and 
on  entering  the  chapel,  I  took  up  a  hymn  book, 
thinking,  'I  wonder  what  they  sing!'  The  book 
opened  at  'He  leadeth  me,'  and  that  was  the  first 
time  I  knew  my  hymn  had  found  a  place  among 
the  songs  of  the  church."  As  sung  to-day,  the 
last  two  lines  of  the  refrain  are  by  another  hand. 

"He  leadeth  me!  O  blessed  thought! 
O  words  with  heavenly  comfort  fraught! 
Whate'er  I  do,  where'er  I  be, 
Still  'tis  God's  hand  that  leadeth  me. 
He  leadeth  me,  he  leadeth  me, 
By  his  own  hand  he  leadeth  me: 
His  faithful  follower  I  would  be, 
For  by  his  hand  he  leadeth  me. 

"Sometimes  'mid  scenes  of  deepest  gloom, 
Sometimes  where  Eden's  bowers  bloom, 
By  waters  still,  o'er  troubled  sea,— 
Still  'tis  his  hand  that  leadeth  me! 

"Lord,  I  would  clasp  thy  hand  in  mine, 
Nor  ever  murmur  nor  repine, 
Content,  whatever  lot  I  see, 
Since  'tis  my  God  that  leadeth  me! 

"And  when  my  task  on  earth  is  done, 
When,  by  thy  grace,  the  victory's  won, 
E'en  death's  cold  wave  I  will  not  flee, 
Since  God  through  Jordan  leadeth  me." 


369 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

WASHINGTON  GLADDEN 

1836-1918 

For  a  generation  and  more,  scarcely  a  year 
passed  that  at  least  one  volume  did  not  come  from 
the  prolific  pen  of  Washington  Gladden.  Valu- 
able and  widely  read  as  these  books  were,  most 
of  them  are  already  forgotten.  But  in  1879, 
never  dreaming  of  what  would  come  of  it,  he  gave 
to  the  world  a  hymn  which  will  live  and  which 
will  keep  him  in  grateful  remembrance  through 
many  a  year. 

When  an  eminent  Congregationalist  was  asked 
what  his  church  had  done  for  hymnology,  he  re- 
plied that  he  was  "willing  to  rest  its  reputation  on 
four  hymns,  not  to  mention  more,  namely :  Timo- 
thy Dwight's  'I  love  thy  Kingdom,  Lord';  Ray 
Palmer's  'My  faith  looks  up  to  thee';  Leonard 
Bacon's  'O  God,  beneath  thy  guiding  hand' ;  and 
Washington  Gladden' s  'O  Master,  let  me  walk 
with  thee.'  "  Surely  a  group  of  great  hymns,  nor 
is  the  last  the  least. 

It  was  Dr.  Gladden's  lifelong  boast  that  he  was 
nothing  but  a  preacher.  Born  in  1836,  and 
graduated  from  Williams  College  in  the  class  of 
'59,  he  entered  the  Congregational  ministry  and 
at  once  became  pastor  in  Brooklyn.  For  several 
years  he  was  on  the  editorial  staff  of  the  New 
York  Independent,  but  he  never  abandoned  the 
pulpit.  In  1882  he  began  his  pastorate  of  thirty  - 

370 


RECENT  HYMN  WRITERS 

two  years  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  a  career  notable  not 
only  in  the  life  of  that  city  but  far  beyond.  He 
was  concerned  with  all  phases  of  modern  life, 
social  and  political  as  well  as  religious.  He  was 
abreast  and  more  than  abreast  of  his  times.  For 
fifty  years  he  was  an  incessant  student  of  our 
industrial  problems.  With  his  pen,  and  from  the 
platform,  as  well  as  in  immediate  personal  ap- 
proach, he  sought  to  bring  employers  and  em- 
ployees to  a  mutual  understanding  and  to  im- 
prove industrial  relations. 

He  was  a  leader  in  broadening  the  popular 
conception  of  Christianity  and  in  interpreting  the 
old  faith  in  terms  of  social  service.  If  he  made 
less  of  some  of  the  dogmas  of  the  church,  he 
stressed  what  seemed  to  him  the  fundamentals. 
By  many  he  was  severely  criticised;  his  views 
were  condemned  and  sometimes  misrepresented. 
But  in  spite  of  opposition  he  continued  on  his 
way.  As  we  read  his  hymn  we  seem  to  catch  a 
glimpse  of  the  heart  whence  it  came,  of  hopes 
that  were  already  big,  and  of  experiences  that 
even  then  were  trying.  The  poem  first  appeared 
in  Sunday  Afternoon,  a  magazine  which  Dr. 
Gladden  was  editing  at  the  time.  He  had  no 
thought  that  it  would  ever  be  used  as  a  hymn. 
There  were  three  eight-line  stanzas,  the  second 
being  omitted  in  our  hymnals.  As  originally 
printed  it  is  as  follows : 

371 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"O  Master,  let  me  walk  with  thee 
In  lowly  paths  of  service  free; 
Tell  me  thy  secret;  help  me  bear 
The  strain  of  toil,  the  fret  of  care. 
Help  me  the  slow  of  heart  to  move 
By  some  clear,  winning  word  of  love; 
Teach  me  the  wayward  feet  to  stay, 
And  guide  them  in  the  homeward  way. 

"O  Master,  let  me  walk  with  thee 
Before  the  taunting  Pharisee; 
Help  me  to  bear  the  sting  of  spite, 
The  hate  of  men  who  hide  thy  light, 
The  sore  distrust  of  souls  sincere 
Who  cannot  read  thy  judgments  clear, 
The  dullness  of  the  multitude 
Who  dimly  guess  that  thou  art  good. 

"Teach  me  thy  patience;  still  with  thee 
In  closer,  dearer  company, 
In  work  that  keeps  faith  sweet  and  strong, 
In  trust  that  triumphs  over  wrong. 
In  hope  that  sends  a  shining  ray 
Far  down  the  future's  broadening  way; 
In  peace  that  only  thou  canst  give, 
With  thee,  O  Master,  let  me  live." 

The  glad  hopefulness  of  the  closing  lines  was 
thoroughly  characteristic  of  Dr.  Gladden.  In 
one  of  his  later  sermons  he  said:  "I  have  never 
doubted  that  the  kingdom  I  have  always  prayed 
for  is  coming;  that  the  gospel  I  have  always 
preached  is  true.  I  believe  that  the  democracy 
is  getting  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit,  that  the 
nation  is  being  saved." 

372 


RECENT  HYMN  WRITERS 

MALTBIE  DAVENPORT  BABCOCK 

1858-1901 

A  manlier  man  than  Maltbie  Davenport  Bab- 
cock  never  stood  in  a  Christian  pulpit.  He  was 
born  in  Syracuse,  New  York,  in  1858,  and  as  a 
boy  he  began  to  show  those  qualities  of  sturdy 
independence  and  virile  leadership  which,  in 
later  years,  made  him  such  a  power  among  men. 
He  grew  up,  tall,  broad-shouldered,  with  muscles 
of  iron,  a  superb  specimen  of  physical  manhood. 
He  was  champion  baseball  pitcher  and  swimmer, 
and  at  the  front  in  all  athletic  contests.  The 
young  men  as  well  as  the  boys  fairly  idolized  him, 
but  they  all  knew  where  he  stood.  He  was  as 
full  of  fun  and  mischief  as  the  next  man,  but 
some  things  he  would  not  tolerate.  One  day 
when  an  older  fellow  was  trying  to  bully  one 
younger  than  himself,  and  was  indulging  in  some 
unsavory  language,  Babcock  quietly  seized  him 
by  the  nape  of  the  neck  and  the  seat  of  the  trous- 
ers and  with  a  word  of  forceful  warning  pitched 
him  over  the  fence. 

It  was  a  stirring  virility  like  this  that  marked 
his  preaching.  No  wonder  that  men,  old  and 
young,  thronged  to  hear  him.  During  his  pastor- 
ate in  Baltimore  he  was  easily  the  commanding 
figure  in  the  Protestant  pulpits  of  the  city.  So 
eagerly  did  the  students  seek  his  counsel,  that  .the 
authorities  of  Johns  Hopkins  set  aside  a  special 

373 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

room  for  his  use.  He  was  in  constant  demand  as 
university  preacher  all  over  the  land,  and  no 
young  man  ever  went  to  sleep  while  he  was  speak- 
ing. When  he  talked,  as  on  "Power"  or  "Over- 
coming," in  his  perfectly  frank,  straightforward 
way — no  trace  of  clerical  mannerism — his  mes- 
sage fairly  quivered  with  redblooded  earnestness ; 
the  young  men  saw  the  splendor  of  life,  they  felt 
the  glory  of  self-mastery,  and  many  a  fellow 
went  out  vowing  to  himself,  "With  God's  help 
I'll  be  a  man!" 

In  his  militant  hatred  of  wrong  and  his  pas- 
sionate love  for  the  strong  and  true  and  manly, 
Dr.  Babcock  was  a  leader  among  men.  He  once 
said:  "There  is  a  making  the  best  of  things  that  is 
noble.  .  .  .  But  there  is  a  making  the  best  of 
things  that  is  false  and  shameful.  It  is  labeling 
that  as  best  which  we  deeply  know  is  not  the  best. 
It  is  cowardly  contentment.  It  is  'letting  things 
go,'  in  weak  complaisance,  or  shallow  optimism, 
when  they  could  be  bettered,  if  we  cared  to  better 
them."  That  noble  poem,  "Be  Strong!"  which 
Bishop  Warren  called  "a  rugged  hymn,  knotted 
like  the  muscles  of  a  torso  of  Hercules,"  is  thor- 
oughly characteristic  of  the  man : 

"Be  strong! 

We  are  not  here  to  play,  to  dream,  to  drift, 
We  have  hard  work  to  do,  and  loads  to  lift. 
Shun  not  the  struggle;  face  it.   'Tis  God's  gift. 
374 


RECENT  HYMN  WRITERS 

"Be  strong! 

Say  not  the  days  are  evil — who's  to  blame? 
And  fold  the  hands  and  acquiesce — O  shame! 
Stand  up,  speak  out,  and  bravely — in  God's  name. 

"Be  strong! 

It  matters  not  how  deep  intrenched  the  wrong, 
How  hard  the  battle  goes,  the  day,  how  long. 
Faint  not,  fight  on!  To-morrow  comes  the  song."1 

Maltbie  D.  Babcock  was  not  only  strong  to  act; 
he  went  farther;  he  was  strong  to  trust.  He 
learned  the  secret  revealed  only  to  the  mighty  of 
soul ;  he  knew  how  to  rest  in  the  Lord.  He  used 
to  say:  "Anxiety  has  no  place  in  the  life  of  one  of 
God's  children.  Christ's  serenity  was  one  of  the 
most  unmistakable  signs  of  his  filial  trust.  He 
was  tired  and  hungry  and  thirsty  and  in  pain; 
but  we  cannot  imagine  him  anxious  or  fretful. 
His  mind  was  kept  in  perfect  peace  because  it 
was  stayed  on  God.  The  life  lived  by  the  faith 
of  the  Son  of  God  will  find  his  word  kept:  'My 
peace  give  I  unto  you.' '  It  was  this  robust  faith 
in  God,  at  once  childlike  and  manly,  that  inspired 
the  writing  of  that  hymn  which  we  delight  to 
sing: 

"Rest  in  the  Lord,  my  soul; 

Commit  to  him  thy  way. 
What  to  thy  sight  seems  dark  as  night, 
To  him  is  bright  as  day. 


»  From  "Thoughts  for  Every-Day.  Living";  copyright,  1901,  by  Charles  Scrib- 
ncr's  Sons. 

375 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"Rest  in  the  Lord,  my  soul; 

He  planned  for  thee  thy  life, 
Brings  fruit  from  rain,  brings  good  from  pain, 
And  peace  and  joy  from  strife. 

"Rest  in  the  Lord,  my  soul; 

This  fretting  weakens  thee. 
Why  not  be  still?   Accept  his  will; 
Thou  shalt  his  glory  see."1 

As  would  be  expected  of  such  a  man,  Dr.  Bab- 
cock  was  a  genuine  lover  of  nature.  He  looked 
forward  to  his  vacation  seasons  with  all  the  en- 
thusiasm of  a  boy.  He  reveled  in  everything 
that  God  had  made.  The  mountains,  the  skies, 
the  forest,  and  especially  the  sea,  appealed  to 
him,  and  wherever  he  turned  he  found  God.  He 
was  intensely  devotional,  and  for  years  it  was  his 
habit  to  rise  early  in  the  morning  and  spend  an 
hour  before  breakfast  in  prayer  and  meditation. 
In  the  summer-time,  when  he  came  close  to  the 
heart  of  nature,  he  felt  in  a  peculiar  way  the  glory 
of  the  Lord.  It  was  in  an  hour  of  recreation  that 
he  penned  the  lines  entitled,  "Worship,"  which  so 
fully  reveal  the  soul  of  the  man.  This  poem  is 
not  yet  sung,  but  it  merits  a  place  among  the 
choice  hymns  of  American  writers : 

"When  the  great  sun  sinks  to  his  rest, 

His  golden  glories  thrilling  me, 
And  voiceless  longings  stir  my  breast, 
Then  teach  me,  Lord,  to  worship  thee. 

i  From  "Thoughts  for  Every-Day  Living";  copyright,  1901,  by  Charles  Scrib- 
ner's  Sons. 

376 


RECENT  HYMN  WRITERS 

"And  when  the  stars — the  daylight  fled — 

In  serried,  shining  ranks,  I  see, 
Filling  the  splendid  vault  o'erhead, 
Then  teach  me,  Lord,  to  worship  thee. 

"If  roaming  by  the  ocean's  shore, 

The  murmuring  waves  sing  low  to  me, 
Or  thundering  billows  hoarsely  roar, 
Then  teach  me,  Lord,  to  worship  thee. 

"Or  if  in  solemn  forest  shades, 

The  calm  of  nature  steals  o'er  me, 
And  silence  all  my  soul  pervades, 

Then  teach  me,  Lord,  to  worship  thee. 

"Not  in  the  sacred  shrines  alone, 

Which  chime  their  summons  unto  me, 
Would  I  look  to  thy  heavenly  throne, 
But  everywhere  would  worship  thee."1 

ERNEST  WARBURTON  SHURTLEFF 

1862-1917 

"Lead  on,  O  King  Eternal, 

The  day  of  march  has  come; 
Henceforth  in  fields  of  conquest 

Thy  tents  shall  be  our  home. 
Through  days  of  preparation 

Thy  grace  has  made  us  strong, 
And  now,  O  King  Eternal, 

We  lift  our  battle  song." 

The  young  men  who  graduated  from  Andover 
Theological  Seminary  in  1887  were  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  poetic  gifts  of  their  classmate, 

1  From  "Thoughts  for  Every-Day  Living";  copyright,  1901,  by  Charles  Scrib- 
ncr's  Sons, 

877 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Ernest  W.  Shurtleff ;  he  was  already  the  author  of 
two  volumes  of  poems.  They  therefore  asked  him 
to  write  a  hymn  which  they  could  sing  together 
before  they  parted.  The  noble  poem  of  which  the 
above  is  the  opening  stanza  was  the  response  he 
made,  and  it  is  the  best  lyric  he  ever  wrote.  In- 
deed, it  is  worthy  to  take  a  place  with  the  finest 
hymns  in  our  language  expressive  of  the  militant 
spirit  of  the  Christian  life.  When  sung  to  a 
martial  air,  it  has  all  the  ring  of  a  conquering 
faith.  Mr.  Shurtleff  was  born  in  Boston  in  1862, 
and  entered  the  Congregational  ministry  at  the 
age  of  twenty-seven.  After  several  pastorates  in 
this  country,  he  went  to  Paris  in  1906,  where  he 
had  charge  of  the  Students'  Atelier  Reunions, 
until  his  death  in  1917. 


378 


LOUIS  FITZGERALD  BENSON 
FREDERICK  LUCIAN  HOSMEIJ 


HENRY  VAN  DYKE 
FRANK  MASON  NORTH 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

HOSMER,  NORTH,  VAN  DYKE,  BEN- 
SON, STRYKER,  COPELAND 

FREDERICK  LUCIAN  HOSMER 

1840- 

IT  is  only  within  the  last  few  years  that  Dr. 
Hosmer's  poems  have  to  any  extent  found  their 
way  into  our  hymnals,  and  even  yet  their  excep- 
tional merits  are  not  fully  appreciated.  More 
than  a  decade  ago  Dr.  Julian,  the  eminent 
hymnologist,  made  the  statement:  "Amongst 
Unitarian  hymn  writers  of  the  last  twenty  years 
Mr.  Hosmer  is  the  most  powerful  and  original 
known  to  us;"  and  certainly  no  one  has  arisen  in 
the  meantime  to  endanger  his  supremacy. 

Dr.  Hosmer  was  born  at  Framingham,  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1840,  and  after  receiving  his  educa- 
tion he  entered  the  Unitarian  ministry,  serving  as 
the  pastor  of  several  churches  in  the  middle  West. 
From  his  boyhood  he  had  a  strong  poetical  bent, 
but  unlike  so  many  others  referred  to  in  this 
Story,  he  wrote  very  few  hymns  before  he  was 
forty  years  of  age.  All  the  more  interest  there- 
fore attaches  to  the  little  poem,  "The  Mystery  of 

379 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

God,"  composed  in  1876,  one  of  the  earliest  from 
his  pen,  and  one  of  the  best: 

"O  Thou,  in  all  thy  might  so  far, 

In  all  thy  love  so  near, 
Beyond  the  range  of  sun  and  star, 
And  yet  beside  us  here, — 

"What  heart  can  comprehend  thy  name, 

Or,  searching,  find  thee  out, 
Who  art  within,  a  quickening  flame, 
A  presence  round  about? 

"Yet  though  I  know  thee  but  in  part, 

I  ask  not,  Lord,  for  more: 
Enough  for  me  to  know  thou  art, 
To  love  thee  and  adore. 

"O  sweeter  than  aught  else  besides, 

The  tender  mystery 
That  like  a  veil  of  shadow  hides 
The  light  I  may  not  see! 

"And  dearer  than  all  things  I  know 

Is  childlike  faith  to  me, 
That  makes  the  darkest  way  I  go 
An  open  path  to  thee." 

As  a  prayer  of  simple  childlike  faith,  love  for 
God,  yearning  to  be  near  him,  and  yet  reverently 
content  to  bide  his  time  for  fuller  knowledge, 
without  prying  into  forbidden  mysteries,  this 
hymn  has  a  peculiar  charm. 

A  large  number  of  Dr.  Hosmer's  composi- 
tions appeared  in  The  Thought  of  God  in 

380 


LIVING  HYMN  WRITERS 

Hymns  and  Poems,  which  he  and  his  friend  Mr. 
E.  C.  Gannett  brought  out  in  a  first  series  in 
1885,  and  in  a  second  series  in  1894.  Quite  a 
group  of  these  hymns  are  now  in  general  use. 
One  in  particular  deserves  to  be  still  better 
known.  It  is  entitled  "My  Dead,"  and  it  must 
have  been  written  out  of  the  author's  own  expe- 
rience. It  is  full  of  tender  comfort  for  the  hour 
of  bereavement: 

"I  cannot  think  of  them  as  dead 
Who  walk  with  me  no  more; 
Along  the  path  of  life  I  tread 
They  have  but  gone  before. 

"The  Father's  house  is  mansioned  fair 

Beyond  my  vision  dim; 
All  souls  are  his,  and  here,  or  there, 
Are  living  unto  him. 

"And  still  their  silent  ministry 

Within  my  heart  hath  place, 
As  when  on  earth  they  walked  with  me 
And  met  me  face  to  face. 

"Their  lives  are  made  forever  mine; 

What  they  to  me  have  been 
Hath  left  henceforth  its  seal  and  sign 
Engraven  deep  within. 

"Mine  are  they  by  an  ownership 
Nor  time  nor  death  can  free; 
For  God  hath  given  to  love  to  keep 
Its  own  eternally." 
381 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

FRANK  MASON  NORTH 

1850- 

Rev.  Frank  Mason  North,  D.D.,  is  em- 
phatically a  son  of  the  city.  He  was  born  in 
New  York  in  1850,  and  was  educated  there  till 
he  went  to  Wesleyan  University,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  the  Class  of  '72.  Entering  the 
ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  he 
held  several  pastorates  in  the  New  York  and  the 
New  York  East  Conferences,  until,  in  1892,  he 
was  made  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  New 
York  City  Church  Extension  and  Missionary  So- 
ciety. He  occupied  this  position  with  distin- 
guished success  for  twenty  years,  and,  as  during 
most  of  the  time  he  was  Corresponding  Secretary 
of  the  National  City  Evangelization  Union,  his 
activities  were  nation-wide.  At  the  General  Con- 
ference of  1912  he  was  elected  a  Corresponding 
Secretary  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions.  From  1916  to  1920,  the  full 
term,  he  was  President  of  the  Federal  Council 
of  the  Churches  of  Christ  in  America. 

In  1884  Dr.  North  wrote  a  very  beautiful 
"Hymn  of  Trust,"  which  has  found  its  way  into 
a  number  of  books.  It  opens  with  the  lines : 

"Jesus,  the  calm  that  fills  my  breast, 

No  other  heart  than  thine  can  give; 
This  peace  unstirred,  this  joy  of  rest, 
None  but  thy  loved  ones  can  receive." 

382 


LIVING  HYMN  WRITERS 

It  was  in  1905  that  Dr.  North  gave  to  the 
world  that  really  great  hymn,  "Where  cross  the 
crowded  ways  of  life."  Nothing  in  the  hymnody 
of  the  Christian  Church  voices  more  appealingly 
the  yearning  of  the  Master  after  the  thronging 
multitudes  and  the  human  response  to  that  yearn- 
ing, nothing  more  truly  expresses  the  ardent 
spirit  of  social  service  which  is  animating  the 
church  in  this  new  age  than  these  noble  stanzas. 
Responding  to  a  request  from  the  author,  Dr. 
North  very  kindly  tells  how  he  came  to  write  the 
hymn: 

"My  life  was  for  long  years,  both  by  personal 
choice  and  official  duty,  given  to  the  people  in 
all  phases  of  their  community  life.  New  York 
was  to  me  an  open  book.  I  spent  days  and  weeks 
and  years  in  close  contact  with  every  phase  of  the 
life  of  the  multitudes,  and  at  the  morning,  noon, 
and  evening  hours  was  familiar  with  the  tragedy, 
as  it  always  seemed  to  me,  of  the  jostling,  moving 
currents  of  the  life  of  the  people  as  revealed  upon 
the  streets  and  at  great  crossings  of  the  avenues ; 
and  I  have  watched  them  by  the  hour  as  they 
passed,  by  tens  of  thousands.  This  is  no  more 
than  many  another  man  whose  sympathies  are 
with  the  crowd  and  with  the  eager,  unsatisfied 
folk  of  the  world,  has  done. 

"As  I  recall  it,  I  came  to  write  the  hymn  itself 
at  the  suggestion  of  Professor  C.  T.  Winchester, 

383 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

who,  as  a  member  of  the  committee  on  the  new 
hymnal,  was  struggling  with  the  fact  that  we 
have  so  few  modern  missionary  hymns.  He  said 
to  me  one  day,  'Why  do  you  not  write  us  a  mis- 
sionary hymn?'  I  wrote  what  was  in  my  thought 
and  feeling;  it  was  published  first,  if  I  am  not 
mistaken,  in  The  Christian  City,  and  was  passed 
on  into  the  hands  of  the  Hymnal  Committee. 
.  .  .  That  it  has  found  its  way  into  so  many  of 
the  modern  hymnals  and  by  translation  into  so 
many  of  the  other  languages,  is  significant  not  as 
to  the  quality  of  the  hymn  itself  but  as  to  the 
fact  that  it  is  an  expression  of  that  tremendous 
movement  of  the  soul  of  the  gospel  in  our  times 
which  demands  that  the  follower  of  Christ  must 
make  the  interest  of  the  people  his  own,  and  must 
find  the  heart  of  the  world's  need  if  he  is  in  any 
real  way  to  represent  his  Master  among  men." 

"Where  cross  the  crowded  ways  of  life, 

Where  sound  the  cries  of  race  and  clan, 
Above  the  noise  of  selfish  strife, 
We  hear  thy  voice,  O  Son  of  man! 

"In  haunts  of  wretchedness  and  need, 

On  shadowed  thresholds  dark  with  fears, 
From  paths  where  hide  the  lures  of  greed, 
We  catch  the  vision  of  thy  tears. 

"From  tender  childhood's  helplessness, 

From  woman's  grief,  man's  burdened  toil, 
From  famished  souls,  from  sorrow's  stress, 
Thy  heart  has  never  known  recoil. 

384 


"The  cup  of  water  given  for  thee 

Still  holds  the  freshness  of  thy  grace; 
Yet  long  these  multitudes  to  see 
The  sweet  compassion  of  thy  face. 

"O  Master,  from  the  mountain-side, 

Make  haste  to  heal  these  hearts  of  pain, 
Among  these  restless  throngs  abide, 
O  tread  the  city's  streets  again, 

"Till  sons  of  men  shall  learn  thy  love 

And  follow  where  thy  feet  have  trod; 
Till  glorious  from  thy  heaven  above 
Shall  come  the  city  of  our  God." 

HENRY  VAN  DYKE 

1852- 

Dr.  van  Dyke  is  so  well  known  by  reason  of 
his  eminent  place  in  the  world  of  letters  and 
diplomacy,  that  only  the  briefest  personal  ref- 
erence is  called  for  in  this  connection.  He  was 
born  in  Germantown,  Philadelphia,  in  1852,  and 
graduated  from  Princeton  in  the  Class  of  '73. 
As  a  Presbyterian  minister  he  was  pastor  of  the 
Brick  Church  in  New  York  City  for  seventeen 
years;  then  from  1900  to  1913  he  was  professor 
of  English  Literature  at  his  Alma  Mater.  Fol- 
lowing this  he  served  as  United  States  Minister 
to  the  Netherlands. 

He  has  been  a  voluminous  writer  of  both 
prose  and  poetry,  and  his  books  have  had  a  world- 
wide circulation.  A  number  of  his  poems  are 
admirably  adapted  to  congregational  singing, 

385 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

and  would  enrich  any  hymnal;  such  a  poem,  for 
example,  as  the  one  emphasizing  the  nobility  of 
toil,  opening  with  the  lines: 

"Jesus,  thou  divine  Companion, 

By  thy  lowly  human  birth 
Thou  hast  come  to  join  the  workers, 
Burden-bearers  of  the  earth;" 

or  this  fine  National  Hymn,  beginning: 

"O  Lord,  our  God,  thy  mighty  hand 

Hath  made  our  country  free; 
From  all  her  broad  and  happy  land 

May  worship  rise  to  thee. 
Fulfill  the  promise  of  her  youth, 

Her  liberty  defend; 
By  law  and  order,  love  and  truth, 

America  befriend!" 

Most  of  Dr.  van  Dyke's  hymns  are  of  com- 
paratively recent  date,  which  accounts  for  the  fact 
that  but  few  of  them  are  in  use;  but  in  the  com- 
ing hymnals  he  will  be  well  represented.  For 
purity  of  literary  style,  combined  with  that  de- 
votional spirit  which  is  the  very  essence  of  a  good 
hymn,  he  stands  high.  His  "Hymn  to  Joy," 
written  in  1907,  is  one  of  his  best.  Note  the 
steady  rising  of  the  thought;  listen  to  the  exult- 
ant strain  of  music  in  verse  after  verse;  it  is  a 
hymn  that  sings  itself: 

"Joyful,  joyful,  we  adore  thee, 

God  of  glory,  Lord  of  love; 
Hearts  unfold  like  flowers  before  thee, 
Opening  to  the  sun  above. 
386 


Melt  the  clouds  of  sin  and  sadness, 
Drive  the  dark  of  doubt  away, 

Giver  of  immortal  gladness, 
Fill  us  with  the  light  of  day. 

"All  thy  works  with  joy  surround  thee, 

Earth  and  heaven  reflect  thy  rays, 
Stars  and  angels  sing  around  thee, 

Center  of  unbroken  praise. 
Field  and  forest,  vale  and  mountain, 

Flowery  meadow,  flashing  sea, 
Chanting  bird  and  flowing  fountain, 

Call  us  to  rejoice  in  thee. 

"Thou  art  giving  and  forgiving, 

Ever  blessing,  ever  blest, 
Well-spring  of  the  joy  of  living, 

Ocean-depth  of  happy  rest! 
Thou  our  Father,  Christ  our  Brother, — 

All  who  live  in  love  are  thine; 
Teach  us  how  to  love  each  other, 

Lift  us  to  the  Joy  Divine. 

"Mortals,  join  the  mighty  chorus 

Which  the  morning  stars  began; 
Father-love  is  reigning  o'er  us, 

Brother-love  binds  man  to  man. 
Ever  singing,  march  we  onward, 

Victor  in  the  midst  of  strife, 
Joyful  music  leads  us  Sunward 

In  the  triumph-song  of  life." 

LOUIS  FITZGERALD  BENSON 
1855- 

Dr.  Benson  was  born  in  Philadelphia  in  1855, 
and  graduated  from  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania at  the  age  of  nineteen.  He  followed  law 

387 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

for  several  years  and  then  turned  to  the  Christian 
ministry.  He  was  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  the  Redeemer  in  Germantown  from 
1888  to  1894,  when  he  resigned  to  devote  himself 
to  literary  and  church  work  in  Philadelphia.  He 
has  edited  a  number  of  hymn  books,  authorized 
for  use  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  in  particular  The  Hymnal,  1895, 
and  the  same  book,  Revised,  1911.  This  last  is 
in  every  way  a  model  of  editorial  skill  and  judg- 
ment. 

Dr.  Benson  is  our  leading  American  authority 
on  hymnology.  He  has  written  and  lectured  ex- 
tensively on  the  subject,  and  his  hymnological  li- 
brary of  8,000  volumes  is  by  far  the  largest  and 
the  most  valuable  in  the  country.  He  has  also 
written  hymns  of  his  own  which  promise  to  grow 
in  favor  as  they  become  better  known.  Not  only 
are  they  devotional  and  of  literary  merit,  but 
they  have  a  practical  appeal,  and  they  breathe 
the  spirit  of  the  times  in  which  we  live.  Such  a 
hymn  is  the  one  that  follows : 

"The  light  of  God  is  falling 
Upon  life's  common  way; 
The  Master's  voice  still  calling, 
'Come  walk  with  me  to-day': 
No  duty  can  seem  lowly 

To  him  who  lives  with  thee, 
And  all  of  life  grows  holy, 
O  Christ  of  Galilee. 
388 


LIVING  HYMN  WRITERS 

"Who  shares  his  life's  pure  pleasures, 

And  walks  the  honest  road, 
Who  trades  with  heaping  measures, 

And  Hits  his  brother's  load, 
Who  turns  the  wrong  down  bluntly, 

And  lends  the  right  a  hand; 
He  dwells  in  God's  own  country, 

He  tills  the  Holy  Land. 

"Where  human  lives  are  thronging 

In  toil  and  pain  and  sin, 
While  cloistered  hearts  are  longing 

To  bring  the  kingdom  in, 
O  Christ,  the  Elder  Brother 

Of  proud  and  beaten  men, 
When  they  have  found  each  other, 

Thy  kingdom  will  come  then. 

"Thy  ransomed  host  in  glory, 

All  souls  that  sin  and  pray, 
Turn  toward  the  cross  that  bore  thee; 

'Behold  the  man!'  they  say: 
And  while  thy  church  is  pleading 

For  all  who  would  do  good, 

We  hear  thy  true  voice  leading 

Our  song  of  brotherhood." 

MELANCTHON  WOOLSEY  STRYKER 

1851- 

For  many  years  Dr.  Stryker  has  been  known 
as  a  leader  in  the  world  of  higher  education,  as 
a  public  speaker  of  unusual  power,  and  as  an 
enthusiastic  student  of  hymnology.  While  his 
work  in  this  last  field  has  been  in  the  nature  of  a 

389 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

"side-light,"  he  has  given  to  it  much  of  his  most 
earnest  thought.  He  was  born  in  Vernon,  New 
York,  in  1851,  and  graduated  from  Hamilton 
College  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  Entering  the 
Presbyterian  ministry,  he  served  several  churches, 
until,  in  1892,  he  was  called  from  a  distinguished 
pastorate  in  Chicago  to  the  presidency  of  his 
Alma  Mater.  From  this  position  he  retired  in 
1917,  after  rounding  out  a  full  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury. 

He  has  written  many  hymns,  most  of  which 
have  appeared  at  different  dates  in  hymn-books 
which  he  has  compiled.  His  College  Hymnal, 
which  came  out  while  he  was  at  Hamilton,  con- 
tains many  pieces  especially  adapted  to  student 
life.  One  of  them,  beginning  with  the  lines: 

"Almighty  Lord,  with  one  accord, 
We  offer  thee  our  youth," 

has  passed  into  more  general  use.  But  Dr. 
Stryker's  hymns,  while  admittedly  "massive  and 
rugged"  and  "full  of  fire,"  are  not  as  yet  widely 
known.  One  that  has  received  special  and  well- 
merited  commendation  is  the  following,  entitled 
"Image  of  the  Invisible" : 

"From  doubt  and  all  its  sullen  pain, 

From  every  wide,  uncertain  quest, 

My  mind,  O  Christ,  comes  back  again, 

In  thee,  the  Word  of  God,  to  rest, 

390 


LIVING  HYMN  WRITERS 

"My  laden  conscience  knows  thy  voice, 

In  thee  my  reasonings  end  their  strife, 
Thou  strangely  dost  my  heart  rejoice; 
Where  else  is  Way  or  Truth  or  Life? 

"My  Hope!  in  whom  all  fullness  dwells, 

Thy  words  those  many  mansions  show 

Where  love  shall  find  what  faith  foretells — 

Thou  wouldst  have  told  were  it  not  so! 

"Thou  canst  not  disappoint  the  trust 
That  seeks  its  answers  all  in  thee; 
Because  thou  wert  the  holy,  just 
And  good — and  must  forever  be. 

"Head  over  all  things  to  thy  church, 

Messiah,  Mediator,  King! 
In  whom  we  cease  our  utmost  search, 
Unquestioned  and  unquestioning; 

"Because  we  do  in  God  believe 

We  also  do  believe  in  thee 
And  all  thine  own  would  thee  receive, 
Our  Life  and  Light  eternally. 

"O  blessed  and  enduring  Rock, 

Who  builds  on  thee  shall  never  fall! 
O  shepherd  of  one  only  flock, 
Beyond  all  fear  enfold  us  all!" 

BENJAMIN  COPELAND 

1855- 

Rev.  Benjamin  Copeland,  D.D.,  was  born  in 
1855,  and  for  many  years  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Genesee  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  He  has  written  a  number  of  sa- 

391 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

cred  poems,  two  of  which  are  included  in  the 
Methodist  Hymnal.  His  Thanksgiving  Day 
hymn,  beginning, 

"Our  fathers'  God,  to  thee  we  raise, 
In  cheerful  song,  our  grateful  praise; 
From  shore  to  shore  the  anthems  rise; 
Accept  a  nation's  sacrifice," 

is  admirably  adapted  to  the  occasion  for  which  it 
was  intended. 

The  second  of  the  hymns  just  referred  to,  ex- 
presses the  glad  loyalty  of  the  Christian  heart  to 
the  life  and  leadership  of  the  Master: 

"Christ's  life  our  code,  his  cross  our  creed, 

Our  common,  glad  confession  be; 
Our  deepest  wants,  our  highest  aims, 
Find  their  fulfillment,  Lord,  in  thee. 

"Thy  life  our  code!  in  letters  clear 
We  read  our  duty,  day  by  day, 
Thy  footsteps  tracing  eagerly, 

Who  art  the  Truth,  the  Life,  the  Way. 

"Thy  cross  our  creed !  thy  boundless  love 

A  ransomed  world  at  last  shall  laud, 
And  crown  thee  their  eternal  King, 
O  Lord  of  Glory,  Lamb  of  God." 


392 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

SOME  GOSPEL  SINGERS  AND  THEIR 
SONGS 

IT  is  not  a  part  of  our  Story  to  discuss  the  dif- 
ference between  a  hymn  of  the  standard  type  and 
one  of  the  gospel  variety;  or  to  take  up  the 
mooted  question  as  to  the  place  and  value  of  the 
Gospel  Song  in  church  worship.  We  shall  sim- 
ply tell  how  the  new  song  movement  came  about, 
and  speak  of  several  of  those  who  have  been 
prominent  in  its  development. 

It  was  but  natural  that  the  Gospel  Song  should 
be  born  in  America,  with  its  western  freedom 
from  many  of  the  old-world  conventionalities — 
this  home  of  so  many  new  ideas  and  methods. 
The  stirring  revival  hymns  of  the  early  camp 
meeting  days;  the  flood  of  Sunday  school  songs 
with  their  fetching  melodies,  that  began  two  gen- 
erations and  more  ago ;  the  coming  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  in  the  fifties,  with 
the  enthusiastic  singing  by  crowds  of  men  of 
songs  new  and  old ;  the  civil  war  and  the  soldiers' 
love  for  sacred  songs  of  a  lighter  vein,  with  melo- 
dies that  sang  themselves  and  had  plenty  of 
"go"  in  them ;  the  influence  of  a  singing-evangel- 
ist like  Philip  Phillips,  who  went  everywhere 

393 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

thrilling  audiences  with  his  soul-stirring  lyrics — 
all  this  and  more  lay  behind  the  larger  and  defi- 
nite movement  which  we  associate  with  Moody 
and  Sankey. 

The  two  evangelists  went  to  England  on  their 
first  mission  in  the  summer  of  1873.  For  a  time 
they  used  Philip  Phillips'  book,  Hallowed  Songs, 
in  the  meetings.  These  were  supplemented  by 
hymns  which  Mr.  Sankey  had  in  his  private  col- 
lection, and  which  became  so  popular  that  an  in- 
sistent call  came  for  their  publication.  They  were 
finally  issued  in  a  pamphlet  of  sixteen  pages,  with 
the  title,  Sacred  Songs  and  Solos.  In  the  mean- 
time, while  Moody  and  Sankey  were  in  England, 
Major  D.  W.  Whittle  was  carrying  on  evangel- 
istic work  in  America,  with  P.  P.  Bliss  to  assist 
him  in  song.  They  got  out  a  small  book  of  hymns 
and  tunes  under  the  title  of  Gospel  Songs,  most 
of  them  by  Mr.  Bliss.  On  the  return  of  Moody 
and  Sankey  it  was  decided  to  unite  the  two  col- 
lections, the  new  book  bearing  the  name  that  has 
grown  so  familiar,  Gospel  Hymns  and  Sacred 
Songs.  This  original  volume  was  so  popular  that 
a  second  one  of  like  character  was  published,  and 
finally  a  series  of  six  was  issued. 

PHILIP  PAUL  BLISS 

As  we  open  "Number  One,"  the  original  book, 
at  every  turn  of  the  page  we  are  reminded  of 

394 


GOSPEL  SINGERS  AND  SONGS 

P.  P.  Bliss,  for  his  spirit  permeates  the  whole 
collection.  Mr.  Bliss  was  born  at  Rome,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  1838,  and  was  brought  up  by  devoted 
Christian  parents.  He  was  passionately  fond  of 
music;  they  used  to  say  of  him  that  "he  loved 
music  like  a  bird."  In  1864  he  went  to  Chicago 
and  became  associated  with  the  music  house  of 
Root  and  Cady,  conducting  musical  institutes 
and  composing  Sunday  school  melodies.  In  1874 
he  joined  Major  Whittle  in  evangelistic  work, 
meeting  with  great  success.  He  was  a  man  of 
splendid  physique,  "one  of  the  handsomest  men 
I  ever  met,"  said  Dr.  John  H.  Vincent.  He  had 
a  deep  bass  voice  of  wonderful  compass  and 
pathos,  yet  with  all  his  strength  he  possessed  the 
delicate  feeling  and  tenderness  of  a  woman.  He 
combined  in  a  very  unusual  way  magnetic  power 
as  a  singer  with  the  ability  to  write  the  most 
popular  gospel  songs,  both  words  and  music. 

His  best  work  was  not  accomplished  by  delib- 
erate study  but  during  flashes  of  inspiration. 
Very  often  an  entire  hymn,  theme,  general  struc- 
ture of  the  words,  and  the  melody,  would  be  born 
in  his  mind  at  the  same  time.  He  was  always  on 
the  alert.  A  passing  incident,  a  story  that  he 
chanced  to  hear  or  read,  would  suggest  a  theme 
for  a  song.  A  vessel  was  wrecked  and  was  rap- 
idly going  to  pieces.  The  captain  ordered  the 
crew  to  leave  everything,  to  leap  into  the  lifeboat 

395 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

and  "pull  for  the  shore."  Mr.  Bliss  read  of  it 
and  at  once  wrote  his  well-known  song.  He 
heard  the  English  evangelist,  Henry  Moorhouse, 
preach  for  seven  nights  in  succession  from  the 
familiar  words  in  John  3.  16,  and  was  so  moved 
that  he  wrote,  "Whosoever  heareth,  shout,  shout 
the  sound."  One  evening  he  was  talking  with  a 
friend  about  "Gates  Ajar,"  and  he  went  home  to 
write  out,  "I  know  not  the  hour  when  my  Lord 
will  come." 

He  listened  to  a  sermon  which  closed  with  the 
words,  "He  who  is  almost  persuaded  is  almost 
saved,  but  to  be  almost  saved  is  to  be  entirely 
lost,"  and  then  he  wrote,  "Almost  Persuaded," 
which  is  said  to  have  brought  more  souls  to  Christ 
than  any  other  song  he  ever  composed.  One 
morning,  in  his  own  home,  as  he  was  passing 
through  the  hall,  there  suddenly  came  to  him  the 
outline  of  a  new  song,  both  words  and  music,  and 
presently  "The  Light  of  the  World  is  Jesus" 
was  upon  paper.  In  1870  he  heard  Major  Whit- 
tle tell  the  story  of  how  the  military  signal  was 
flashed  to  the  beleaguered  garrison  at  Allatoona 
Pass  to  "Hold  the  fort,"  and  that  moment  his 
most  famous  song  was  born  in  his  heart.  "Let 
the  Lower  Lights  be  burning,"  with  its  appealing 
melody,  has  also  been  a  great  favorite.  When 
the  Columbus  Glee  Club  visited  the  White 
House  during  the  presidency  of  Rutherford  B. 

396 


GOSPEL  SINGERS  AND  SONGS 

Hayes,  this  piece  was  sung  at  the  special  request 
of  Mrs.  Hayes.  Mr.  Sankey  tells  us  that  when 
he  and  Mr.  Moody  began  their  work  in  England, 
the  first  of  the  songs  by  Mr.  Bliss  that  became 
popular  was,  "Jesus  loves  even  me,"  and  "more 
than  any  other  hymn,  it  became  the  keynote  of 
our  meetings."  Bishop  John  H.  Vincent  was 
very  fond  of  it,  and  once  said,  "If  there  is  only 
one  song  of  his  that  remains  it  will  be  that 
one." 

In  1876  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bliss  made  a  Christmas 
visit  to  the  old  home  at  Rome.  On  their  way 
back  to  Chicago,  on  Friday  evening,  December 
29,  through  the  collapse  of  a  bridge  they  were 
crossing  near  Ashtabula,  Ohio,  their  train  was 
precipitated  to  the  stream  below.  The  wreckage 
at  once  caught  fire.  Mr.  Bliss  escaped  through 
a  window,  but  crawled  back  to  try  to  rescue  his 
wife.  This  was  the  last  that  was  seen  of  him. 
Both  utterly  perished  in  the  flames.  A  beautiful 
monument  was  erected  to  his  memory  in  the 
Rome  cemetery,  but  his  work  in  Gospel  Song  is 
his  real  and  enduring  memorial. 

ANNIE  SHERWOOD  HAWKS 

We  are  indebted  to  Mrs.  Hawks  for  that  beau- 
tiful hymn  which  voices  the  deepest  feeling  of  the 
soul,  "I  need  Thee  every  hour."  She  was  born 
in  Hoosick,  New  York,  in  1835,  and  began  writ- 

397 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

ing  poems  for  the  newspapers  when  she  was  only 
fourteen,  and  she  continued  to  use  her  pen 
through  most  of  her  life.  Following  her  mar- 
riage in  1859,  she  moved  to  Brooklyn  and  united 
with  the  Hanson  Place  Baptist  Church.  Soon 
afterward,  Dr.  Robert  Lowry  became  the  pastor, 
and  when  he  learned  of  Mrs.  Hawks'  poetic  gift 
he  urged  her  to  write  hymns.  She  did  so  and  he 
set  several  of  them  to  music. 

In  her  old  age  she  told  how  her  best-known 
hymn  came  to  be  written.  "I  remember  well  the 
morning,  many  years  ago  (1872),  when  in  the 
midst  of  the  daily  cares  of  my  home,  I  was  so 
filled  with  a  sense  of  nearness  to  my  Master  that, 
wondering  how  one  could  live  without  him  either 
in  joy  or  pain,  these  words,  'I  need  Thee  every 
hour,'  were  flashed  into  my  mind.  Seating  my- 
self by  the  open  window  in  the  balmy  air  of  the 
bright  June  day,  I  caught  up  my  pencil  and  the 
words  were  soon  committed  to  paper,  almost  as 
they  are  being  sung  now.  It  was  only  accident, 
as  it  would  seem,  that  they  were  set  to  music  a 
few  months  later,  and  sung  for  the  first  time  at 
a  Sunday  school  convention  held  in  one  of  the 
large  Western  cities.  From  there  they  were 
taken  farther  west  and  sung  by  thousands  of 
voices  before  the  echo  came  back  to  me.  I  did 
not  understand  at  first  why  it  touched  the  great 
throbbing  heart  of  humanity.  It  was  not  until 

398 


GOSPEL  SINGERS  AND  SONGS 

long  years  after,  when  the  shadow  fell  over  my 
way,  the  shadow  of  a  great  loss,  that  I  under- 
stood something  of  the  comforting  power  in  the 
words  which  I  had  been  permitted  to  give  out  to 
others  in  my  hours  of  sweet  security  and  peace." 
The  music  for  the  hymn  was  written  by  Dr. 
Lowry,  and  he  also  added  the  refrain.  After  the 
death  of  her  husband,  in  1888,  Mrs.  Hawks  lived 
with  her  daughter,  in  Bennington,  Vermont, 
where  she  spent  a  tranquil  old  age,  passing  away 
at  the  dawn  of  1918. 

ROBERT  LOWRY 

We  know  Dr.  Lowry  so  well  as  the  author  of 
"Shall  we  gather  at  the  river?"  and  other  songs, 
and  as  the  composer  of  favorite  gospel  melodies, 
that  we  often  forget  that  for  many  years  he  was 
a  leader  in  the  Christian  ministry.  Born  in  Phil- 
adelphia in  1826,  and  graduating  from  Bucknell 
University  with  valedictory  honors,  he  served  as 
the  pastor  of  a  number  of  Baptist  churches,  in- 
cluding the  Hanson  Place  Church  in  Brooklyn. 
As  a  child  he  was  very  fond  of  music,  and  the 
love  for  it  grew  with  him  as  the  years  passed. 
Late  in  the  sixties  the  music  firm  of  Biglow  and 
Main  urged  him  to  prepare  a  book  for  the  use 
of  Sunday  schools.  He  did  so,  and  it  became 
the  first  in  a  long  and  remarkable  series.  Of 
Bright  Jewels  a  half  million  copies  were  sold  in 

399 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

four  years,  and  more  than  twice  that  number  of 
Pure  Gold. 

He  was  a  prolific  tune-writer.  "I  need  Thee 
every  hour,"  "The  mistakes  of  my  life  have  been 
many,"  "All  the  way  my  Saviour  leads  me," 
"Saviour,  thy  dying  love,"  "One  more  day's  work 
for  Jesus,"  "We're  marching  to  Zion,"  and  a 
host  of  other  hymns  are  sung  to  his  melodies.  Dr. 
Lowry  also  wrote  a  number  of  well-known  Gos- 
pel Songs,  including,  "Weeping  will  not  save  me," 
and  "Where  is  my  wandering  boy  to-night?" 
But  the  one  that  is  loved  best  is,  "Shall  we  gather 
at  the  river?"  We  cannot  do  better  than  tell  the 
story  of  how  it  came  to  be  written,  in  Dr.  Lowry's 
own  words:  "One  afternoon  in  July,  1864,  when 
I  was  pastor  at  Hanson  Place  Baptist  Church, 
Brooklyn,  the  weather  was  oppressively  hot,  and 
I  was  lying  on  a  lounge  in  a  state  of  physical  ex- 
haustion. I  was  almost  incapable  of  bodily  exer- 
tion, and  my  imagination  began  to  take  to  itself 
wings.  Visions  of  the  future  passed  before  me 
with  startling  vividness.  The  imagery  of  the 
apocalypse  took  the  form  of  a  tableau.  Brightest 
of  all  were  the  throne,  the  heavenly  river,  and  the 
gathering  of  the  saints.  My  soul  seemed  to  take 
new  life  from  that  celestial  outlook.  I  began  to 
wonder  why  the  hymn-writers  had  said  so  much 
about  the  'river  of  death,'  and  so  little  about  'the 
pure  water  of  life,  clear  as  crystal,  proceeding  out 

400 


GOSPEL  SINGERS  AND  SONGS 

of  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb.'  As  I 
mused  the  words  began  to  construct  themselves. 
They  came  first  as  a  question  of  Christian  in- 
quiry, 'Shall  we  gather?'  Then  they  broke  out  in 
chorus,  as  an  answer  of  Christian  faith,  'Yes, 
we'll  gather.'  On  this  question  and  answer  the 
hymn  developed  itself.  The  music  came  with  the 
hymn." 

Soon  the  new  song  became  known.  The  fol- 
lowing spring,  the  Brooklyn  Sunday  School 
Union  asked  permission  to  use  it  for  the  May  an- 
niversary, and  forty  thousand  children  sang  it 
on  parade  and  in  their  churches.  Then  it  went 
everywhere  till  it  girdled  the  earth.  The  closing 
years  of  Dr.  Lowry's  life  were  spent  at  Plain- 
field,  New  Jersey,  and  there  he  died,  on  the  eve 
of  Thanksgiving  Day,  November  25,  1899. 

ELLEN  HUNTINGTON  GATES 

We  are  indebted  to  Mrs.  Gates  for  several  of 
our  best-loved  songs.  One  stormy  afternoon  in 
the  winter  of  1860-61,  she  sat  near  the  window 
watching  the  whirling  snow,  when  she  fell  to  mus- 
ing, and  scarcely  realizing  what  she  was  doing, 
she  began  to  write  the  lines  of  a  poem  on  her 
slate.  "It  wrote  itself,"  she  afterward  said.  She 
went  on  till  there  were  six  stanzas,  and  when  she 
read  them  over  she  was  pleased  with  them.  "I 
knew,  as  I  know  now,  that  the  poem  was  only  a 

401 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

simple  little  thing;  but  somehow  I  had  a  pre- 
sentiment that  it  had  wings,  and  would  fly  into 
sorrowful  hearts,  uplifting  and  strengthening 
them."  It  appeared  in  two  or  three  newspapers, 
and  was  then  set  to  music  by  Sidney  M.  Gran- 
nis  and  published.  As  the  war  was  drawing  to  a 
close,  on  February  29,  1865,  a  great  meeting  of 
the  United  States  Christian  Commission  was  held 
in  the  Hall  of  Representatives  at  Washington. 
Secretary  Seward  was  in  the  chair  and  the  place 
was  crowded  with  a  most  distinguished  company, 
including  President  Lincoln.  During  the  exer- 
cises Philip  Phillips  was  called  on  to  sing,  and  he 
rendered  this  ballad  by  Mrs.  Gates.  It  was  new, 
the  people  had  never  heard  it  before,  and  it  made 
a  profound  impression : 

"If  you  cannot  on  the  ocean 

Sail  among  the  swiftest  fleet; 
Rocking  on  the  highest  billows, 

Laughing  at  the  storms  you  meet, 
You  can  stand  among  the  sailors 

Anchored  yet  within  the  bay; 
You  can  lend  a  hand  to  help  them 

As  they  launch  their  boats  away." 

The  horrors  of  battle  came  before  the  listeners 
as  the  singer  went  on: 

"If  you  cannot  in  the  conflict 

Prove  yourself  a  soldier  true, 
If  where  fire  and  smoke  are  thickest 
There's  no  work  for  you  to  do; 
402 


GOSPEL  SINGERS  AND  SONGS 

When  the  battlefield  is  silent 
You  can  go  with  careful  tread; 

You  can  bear  away  the  wounded, 
You  can  cover  up  the  dead." 

The  touching  appeal  of  the  poem  itself,  the 
rare  beauty  of  the  voice  that  sang  it,  and  the 
whole  occasion,  conspired  to  move  every  heart. 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  overcome  with  emotion.  He 
wrote  on  a  slip  of  paper  and  sent  it  up  to  the 
chairman,  "Near  the  close  let  us  have  'Your  Mis- 
sion' repeated  by  Mr.  Phillips.  Don't  say  I 
called  for  it."  Presently  Mr.  Seward  announced 
that  the  piece  would  be  sung  again,  and,  feeling 
free  to  disregard  the  President's  caution,  he 
added  that  it  was  at  Mr.  Lincoln's  request.  We 
can  well  understand  the  breathless  interest  with 
which  the  ballad  was  listened  to  for  the  second 
time.  A  few  weeks  later  the  noble  Chieftain  lay 
dead;  his  "favorite  song"  will  be  tenderly  cher- 
ished through  all  the  years. 

In  1865,  while  preparing  his  song-book  which 
became  so  famous,  The  Singing  Pilgrim,  Mr. 
Phillips  asked  Mrs.  Gates  to  contribute  a  song  in 
the  spirit  of  Bunyan's  description  of  the  joy  of 
the  Christian  as  he  steps  forth  on  the  celestial 
shore.  Her  response  was  the  touching  hymn, 
"The  Home  of  the  Soul."  Mr.  Phillips  was 
greatly  pleased  with  it,  and  he  never  wrote  a 
sweeter  and  more  appropriate  melody  than  the 

403 


one  composed  for  these  words.  The  piece  was 
afterward  sung  at  the  funeral  of  his  own  little 
boy,  and  it  has  been  a  source  of  comfort  to  un- 
numbered multitudes  of  hearts.  Mrs.  Gates  also 
wrote  that  tenderly  impressive  poem,  "O  the 
clanging  bells  of  time." 

SANFORD  FILLMORE  BENNETT  AND  JOSEPH  P. 
WEBSTER 

were  united  in  giving  us  "In  the  Sweet  By-and- 
By,"  Bennett  writing  the  words  and  Webster 
composing  the  melody.  The  two  men  were  close 
friends  and  for  some  time  they  had  worked  to- 
gether in  publishing  songs  in  sheet  music  form. 
Mr.  Webster,  like  so  many  musicians,  was  of  a 
nervous,  sensitive  nature,  and  subject  to  periods 
of  great  depression.  One  day  he  came  into  Ben- 
nett's drugstore,  and  stood,  with  his  back  to  the 
stove,  in  dead  silence.  At  a  glance  Bennett  saw 
he  was  in  one  of  his  melancholy  moods.  "Well, 
Webster,  what's  the  matter  now?"  "It's  no  mat- 
ter," was  the  reply,  "It  will  be  all  right  By  and 
By." 

The  idea  of  a  song  flashed  into  the  mind  of 
Bennett.  "'The  Sweet  By  and  By!'  Why 
would  not  that  make  a  good  hymn?"  "May  be  it 
would,"  said  Webster,  indifferently.  Turning  to 
his  desk,  Bennett  began  to  write,  swiftly,  line  af- 
ter line.  Then  he  sprang  up  and  handed  the 

404 


GOSPEL  SINGERS  AND  SONGS 

sheet  to  his  partner.  With  kindling  eye  Webster 
read  it ;  his  depression  was  gone  in  an  instant,  and 
he  in  turn,  pen  in  hand,  started  on  a  tune.  As 
soon  as  he  had  jotted  down  the  notes,  he  played 
the  melody  with  his  violin.  In  the  meantime  a 
couple  of  friends  had  dropped  in,  and  within 
thirty  minutes  of  the  time  that  Bennett  began 
writing,  the  four  men  were  singing  the  completed 
song.  A  third  friend  entered  as  they  were  sing- 
ing, and  when  they  were  done,  he  exclaimed,  with 
tears  in  his  eyes,  "That  hymn  is  immortal." 
Whether  immortal  or  not,  it  certainly  has  won  a 
popularity  that  very  few  songs  have  attained.  In 
later  years  Mr.  Bennett  studied  medicine,  and 
practiced  in  Richmond,  Illinois,  where  he  died  in 
1898. 

LYDIA  BAXTER 

Mrs.  Lydia  Baxter,  who  wrote,  "Take  the 
name  of  Jesus  with  you,"  and  other  familiar 
hymns,  was  born  at  Petersburgh,  New  York,  in 
1809.  Her  conversion  and  that  of  a  sister  were 
followed  by  the  organization  of  a  Baptist  Church 
in  her  native  town.  On  her  marriage  she  moved 
to  New  York  City,  but  she  carried  her  intense 
religious  experience  with  her.  It  was  not  long 
before  she  led  her  husband  to  Christ,  and  on 
through  the  years,  till  her  death  in  1874,  her  home 
was  a  center  of  Christian  influence.  She  was  an 
invalid  and  confined  to  her  bed  much  of  the  time, 

405 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

but  she  managed  to  keep  active  in  the  King's 
business.  Pastors,  Sunday  school  workers,  mis- 
sionaries, and  colporteurs  were  wont  to  meet  with 
her  to  discuss  the  affairs  of  the  Kingdom. 

She  wrote  a  number  of  gospel  songs,  includ- 
ing the  one  noted  above,  and,  "There  is  a  gate 
that  stands  ajar."  Many  years  ago  the  Sunday 
School  Times  told  a  touching  incident  concerning 
the  influence  of  this  last-named  song.  Among 
those  who  were  converted  during  the  revival 
meetings  held  by  Moody  and  Sankey  at  Edin- 
burgh in  the  winter  of  1873-74  was  a  young 
Scotch  girl  by  the  name  of  Maggie  Lindsay.  Her 
home  was  in  Aberdeen,  and  it  was  while  she  was 
visiting  friends  in  the  capital  that  the  great  bless- 
ing came  to  her.  Her  newfound  joy  was  deep 
and  intense,  and  nothing  that  she  had  heard 
seemed  to  have  impressed  her  more  than  the 
words  of  the  hymn,  "There  is  a  gate  that  stands 
ajar."  On  the  morning  of  January  28,  1874,  she 
boarded  the  train  to  return  to  Aberdeen.  "A 
fearful  railroad  collision  took  place.  Maggie  was 
left  for  several  hours  lying  on  the  bank.  She 
was  at  last  taken  up  and  removed  to  a  cottage 
near  by.  It  was  supposed  she  was  reading  her 
much-loved  hymn,  as  the  leaf  was  turned  down 
at  the  words,  'The  gate  ajar  for  me,'  and  the 
pages  of  the  book  were  stained  with  her  own 
heart's  blood.  Lying  on  that  stretcher,  with  both 

406 


GOSPEL  SINGERS  AND  SONGS 

limbs  broken,  a  fractured  skull,  and  other  inter- 
nal injuries,  she  could  yet  sing  with  bleeding  lips 
the  hymn, 

'Oh,  depth  of  mercy,  can  it  be 
That  gate  stands  open  wide  for  me?' 

'For  me!  for  me!  for  me!'  she  sang  plain- 
tively, to  the  uncontrollable  emotion  of  those  who 
were  beside  her."  These  were  her  last  words,  for 
in  a  few  brief  moments  the  gates  opened  wide 
and  Maggie  passed  into  the  City  of  the  Great 
King. 

In  the  company  of  gospel  singers  have  been 
two  Methodist  ministers,  each  of  whom  has  given 
us  a  beautiful  and  helpful  song.  Rev.  John  Hart 
Stockton  was  born  in  1813  and  died  in  1877. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  New  Jersey  Annual 
Conference,  and  in  addition  to  being  a  good 
preacher  and  pastor,  he  wrote  hymns  and  com- 
posed tunes,  and  not  long  before  his  death  he 
published  two  gospel  songbooks.  During  his 
first  voyage  to  England,  in  1873,  in  looking 
through  his  scrapbook,  Mr.  Sankey  found  a 
hymn  by  Mr.  Stockton,  beginning, 

"Come,  every  soul  by  sin  oppressed, 
There's  mercy  with  the  Lord." 

The  refrain  ran, 

"Come  to  Jesus,  come  to  Jesus, 
Come  to  Jesus  just  now." 
407 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

The  hymn  itself  he  liked,  but  he  thought  the  re- 
frain hackneyed,  and  so  he  changed  it  to,  "Only 
trust  him,"  and  in  this  form  the  piece  has  been 
used  ever  since. 

Rev.  William  McDonald,  who  gave  us  that 
familiar  hymn  of  spiritual  surrender, 

"I  am  coming  to  the  cross; 

I  am  poor,  and  weak,  and  blind; 
I  am  counting  all  but  dross, 
I  shall  full  salvation  find," 

was  born  in  1820  and  lived  to  be  eighty-one  years 
of  age.  He  entered  the  Methodist  ministry, 
serving  as  the  pastor  of  several  churches,  editing 
the  Christian  Witness  f  for  some  years,  and  also 
engaging  extensively  in  evangelistic  work.  He  is 
especially  remembered  as  one  of  the  leaders  in 
the  National  Holiness  Association.  The  hymn 
referred  to  was  written  in  1870,  while  Dr.  Mc- 
Donald was  pastor  in  Brooklyn,  and  it  grew  out 
of  a  need  which  he  felt  "of  a  hymn  to  aid  seekers 
of  heart-purity  while  at  the  altar."  Its  simplicity 
and  its  soulful  voicing  of  an  earnest  desire  for  all 
the  fullness  of  divine  grace  have  given  it  wide- 
spread usefulness. 

In  his  autobiography,  written  toward  the  close 
of  life,  when  blind  and  broken  in  health  and  pa- 
tiently waiting  for  the  end,  Mr.  Ira  D.  Sankey 
mentioned  what  he  called  "My  three  latest  favor- 
ite songs,  'Hiding  in  Thee,'  'There'll  be  no  Dark 

408 


GOSPEL  SINGERS  AND  SONGS 

Valley,'  and  'Saved  by  Grace.' '  The  words  of 
the  first  two  were  by  his  friend,  Rev.  William 
O.  Gushing,  who  wrote  a  number  of  well-known 
gospel  songs.  The  one  beginning,  "O  safe  to 
the  Rock  that  is  higher  than  I,"  "was  written  in 
Moravia,  New  York,  in  1876,"  so  we  are  told 
by  the  author.  "It  was  the  outgrowth  of  many 
tears,  many  heart  conflicts  and  soul  yearnings,  of 
which  the  world  can  know  nothing.  The  history 
of  many  battles  is  behind  it."  "Ring  the  bells  of 
heaven!  there  is  joy  to-day"  was  written  by  Mr. 
Gushing  "to  fit  a  beautiful  tune"  sent  him  by  the 
composer,  George  F.  Root.  "After  receiving  it, 
the  melody  ran  in  my  head  all  day  long,  chiming 
and  flowing  in  its  sweet  musical  cadence."  And 
then  the  words  of  the  song  came  to  him  as  from 
heaven. 

In  the  winter  of  1863-64,  the  city  of  Newark, 
New  Jersey,  was  deeply  stirred  by  a  great  re- 
vival. The  place  of  meeting  was  thronged  day 
after  day.  At  one  of  the  services  the  sermon  was 
from  the  words,  "They  told  him  that  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  passeth  by."  Among  those  present 
was  a  school-teacher,  Miss  Emma  Campbell,  who 
was  moved  to  write  the  familiar  song  based  on 
this  text.  It  was  one  of  a  small  collection  of 
songs  in  scrapbook  form  which  Sankey  took  with 
him  when  he  and  Moody  went  to  England  in 
1873.  Sankey  made  very  frequent  use  of  it  as  a 

409 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

solo,  especially  during  the  opening  months  of  the 
campaign,  and  at  that  time  it  was  the  most  effec- 
tive song  he  had.  When  the  evangelists  began 
work  in  Edinburgh  where  many  of  the  people 
were  strongly  opposed  to  the  singing  of  any- 
thing but  psalms  in  church,  Mr.  Sankey  took  the 
precaution  to  bring  this  song  on  for  his  first  solo. 
Its  strong  scriptural  flavor  helped  to  disarm 
prejudice  and  to  open  the  way  for  the  singing  of 
other  hymns  of  "human  composure."  Some 
years  later,  Dr.  Andrew  A.  Bonar  wrote :  "Had 
you  been  in  Edinburgh  during  the  four  months 
when  these  brethren  [Moody  and  Sankey]  were 
there  in  1873,  you  would  have  seen  multitudes  of 
all  ages  and  stations  hastening  to  the  place  of 
meeting,  at  whatever  hour,  any  day  of  the  week. 
The  scene  was  exactly  that  described  in  the  hymn, 
so  often  sung  and  so  much  blessed: 

'What  means  this  eager,  anxious  throng, 
Which  moves  with  busy  haste  along; 
These  wondrous  gatherings  day  by  day? 
What  means  this  strange  commotion,  pray?' ' 

Dr.  H.  R.  Palmer,  who  furnished  the  music 
for  "Master,  the  tempest  is  raging,"  once  told  the 
writer  how  the  song  came  to  be  composed.  Its 
author,  Miss  Mary  A.  Baker,  her  sister  and  their 
only  brother,  were  living  together  in  Chicago. 
Suddenly  the  brother's  health  began  to  fail;  it 
was  consumption,  the  dread  disease  of  which  both 

410 


GOSPEL  SINGERS  AND  SONGS 

parents  had  died.  The  doctor  said  that  if  he 
could  go  to  a  warmer  climate,  he  might  possibly 
recover.  The  family  were  in  humble  circum- 
stances, but  without  a  moment's  hesitation  the 
sisters  united  their  savings  and  sent  the  brother  to 
Florida.  For  a  time  he  improved,  and  then  came 
a  change  for  the  worse,  and  one  day  the  sad 
message  was  flashed  over  the  wires  that  he  had 
died.  The  sisters  were  heartbroken,  and  what 
added  immeasurably  to  their  grief  was  the  fact 
that  they  could  not  bring  the  body  home.  Their 
meager  resources  were  exhausted.  They  had  been 
unable  to  go  south  to  minister  to  him  in  his  sick- 
ness and  now  he  must  rest  in  a  lonely  grave. 

Mary's  faith  broke  under  the  strain;  she  felt 
that  God  was  cruel  and  she  would  pray  to  him  no 
more.  It  was  a  time  of  utter  spiritual  darkness. 
But  though  she  knew  it  not,  the  Comforter  was 
with  her,  the  Everlasting  Arms  were  underneath 
and  round  about  her.  The  storm  passed,  her 
faith  revived,  and  a  wonderful  peace  filled  her 
soul.  Out  of  her  own  experience  she  wrote  this 
song,  eager  to  comfort  those  who  were  in  trouble, 
by  the  comfort  wherewith  she  herself  had  been 
comforted  of  God: 

"Master,  the  tempest  is  raging! 

The  billows  are  tossing  high! 
The  sky  is  o'ershadowed  with  blackness, 
No  shelter  or  help  is  nigh; 
411 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

'Carest  thou  not  that  we  perish?' 

How  can'st  thou  lie  asleep, 
When  each  moment  so  madly  is  threat'ning 
A  grave  in  the  angry  deep? 

"Master,  with  anguish  of  spirit 

I  bow  in  my  grief  to-day; 
The  depths  of  my  sad  heart  are  troubled — 

Oh,  waken  and  save,  I  pray! 
Torrents  of  sin  and  of  anguish 

Sweep  o'er  my  sinking  soul; 
And  I  perish!  I  perish!  dear  Master — 

Oh,  hasten,  and  take  control! 

"Master,  the  terror  is  over, 

The  elements  sweetly  rest; 
Earth's  sun  in  the  calm  lake  is  mirrored, 

And  heaven's  within  my  breast; 
Linger,  O  blessed  Redeemer! 

Leave  me  alone  no  more; 
And  with  joy  I  shall  make  the  blest  harbor, 

And  rest  on  the  blissful  shore." 


412 


GENERAL  INDEX 

"A  Christmas  Carol,"  327 

Adams,  John,  and  Methodist  singing,  103 

Adams,  Samuel,  92 

Ainsworth,  Henry,  15,  16,  23 

"Alarming"  hymns,  44 

Alden,  John  and  Priscilla,  16,  262 

"All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name,"  132 

Alline,  Henry,  58 

"America,"  hymn,  277 

America's  Harmony,  131 

American  Congregational  Union,  263 

American  Independence,  42 

American  Sunday  School  Union,  147 

American  Sunday  School  Union,  Song  Book  of,  67 

"Anacreon  in  Heaven,"  137 

Andover  Theological  Seminary,  276 

"An  Easter  Carol,"  328 

Annotations  upon  Popular  Hymns,  130 

"Antipsalmists,"  73 

A  Plea  for  Christian  Hymns,  169 

"Army  Hymn,"  202 

"A  Sun-day  Hymn,"  206 

"At  Last,"  241 

Atlantic  Monthly,  206,  257 

Avison,  Charles,  175 

Babcock,  Maltbie  Davenport,  373,  374,  375,  376 
Bacon,  Leonard,  209,  211,  212,  213,  214,  370 
Baker,  Mary  A.,  410 
Baltimore,  British  attack  on,  136 
Baptists,  early,  and  Church  music,  98 
Baptists,  Early  Hymn,  59 
Barlow,  Joel,  31,  32,  33,  34,  63 
"Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic,"  252,  257,  259 
Baxter,  Lydia,  405 

Bay  Psalm  Book,  18,  22,  23,  24;  tunes  included,  25;  re- 
vised by  Thomas  Prince,  27;  finally  discarded,  28,  74 
Beans,  Dr.,  135 

413 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Beecher,  Lyman,  244 

Belknap,  Jeremy,  70,  71 

Bellamy,  T.,  86 

Bennett,  Sanford  Fillmore,  404 

Benson,  Louis  FitzGerald,  139,  388 

Bentley,  William,  86 

Beranger,  60 

Berkeley,  Bishop,  96 

Berkeley,  Governor,  17 

Bernard  of  Clairvaux,  269 

Bethlehem,  330 
s  Bethune,  George  Washington,  222 

Billings,  William,  87,  88,  89,  90,  91,  92 

Bird,  Professor  F.  M.,  146,  164 

Bliss,  Philip  Paul,  394,  395,  396 

Bodleian  Library,  23 

Bonar,  Andrew  A.,  410 

Bradbury,  William  B.,  146,  347 

Bradford,  Governor,  15 

Brattle,  Thomas,  95 

Breed,  Professor,  152 

Bright,  John,  236 

British  Museum,  24 

Bromfield,  Edward,  Jr.,  97 

Brooks,  Phillips,  199,  324,  325,  328,  329,  331,  333 

Brown,  John,  255 

Brown,  Phoebe  Hinsdale,  117,  177,  178,  179,  181,  182, 
183,  184 

Brown,  Samuel  R.,  182 

Brown  University,  368 

Bryant,  William  Cullen,  188,  190,  192,  194,  195,  196 
iS  Bulfmch,  Stephen  Greenleaf,  296 

Burleigh,  William  Henry,  292,  294,  295 

Burns,  Robert,  228 
^    Byles,  Mather,  49,  50,  51 

Calkin,  J.  B.,  152 

Camp  Meeting  Hymns,  122,  123,  124 
Cary,  Alice,  299,  300,  301,  304 
Cary,  Phoebe,  299,  300,  302,  304 
Chamberlain,  Deacon,  85 
Chautauqua,  308,  309,  310,  311,  312 
"Chelsea,"  Ballad,  319 

414 


GENERAL  INDEX 

Choice  Collection  of  Hymns  by  Occom,  54 

Choirs,  early,  84,  85,  86 

Christian  Ballads,  319,  321 

Christian  Lyre,  118,  119,  158,  161 

Christian  Register,  156 

Church  Melodies,  161 

Church  of  the  Messiah,  195 

Church  of  the  Strangers,  302 

Church  Poetry,  169 

Civil  War,  142 

Clarke,  Adam,  102 

Clarke,  James  Freeman,  203,  253,  255,  256 

Cochrane,  Admiral,  136 

College  of  New  Jersey,  42 

Columbia  College,  223 

Congress  of  Religions  at  Chicago,  235 

Cookman,  Alfred,  216 

Copeland,  Benjamin,  391 

Copps  Hill  Burial  Ground,  64 

"Coronation,"  130,  132 

Cotton,  John,  25,  74 

Coxe,  Arthur  Cleveland,  318,  321,  323,  324 

Crosby,  Fanny,  344,  345,  348,  350,  351 

Cushing,  William  O.,  409 

Cuyler,  Theodore  L.,  168,  172,  274,  354 

Dana,  Richard  H.,  188 
Dartmouth  College,  54 

Davies,  Samuel,  42,  43,  44,  46,  47,  48,  49,  66 
Daye,  Stephen,  18,  19,  23 
Days  with  Mrs.  Stowe,  243 
"Deaconing"  the  Psalms,  76;  discarded,  83 
Deems,  Dr.,  301,  302,  304 
Detroit,  210 
Dickinson  College,  223 
Dictionary  of  Hymnology,  344 
Divine  Hymns,  or  Spiritual  Songs,  130 
Dix,  Dorothea  L.,  343 

Doane,  George  Washington,  148,  149,  150,  151 
Doane,  William  Croswell,  333 
Doane,  W.  H.,  349,  350 
Doyle,  Sir  Arthur  Conan,  260 
Duffield,  George,  129,  215,  216,  219,  220,  320,  344 

415 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Dunster,  President,  17,  24 

Durang,  Ferdinand,  137 

Dwight,  Sereno  E.,  263 

Dwight,  Timothy,  34,  35,  36,  37,  38,  39,  40,  105,  106,  370 

"Dying  Hymn,"  301 

Edwards,  Jonathan,  30,  52,  80,  82 

Edwards,  Morgan,  59 

Eliot,  John,  17 

Ellington,  Connecticut,  178,  184 

Elsie  Venner,  205 

Emerson,  William,  126 

English  Hymns,  129,  344 

Episcopal  Hymn  Book,  279 

Episcopalians,  early,  and  Church  music,  99 

Esling,  Catherine  Watterman,  298 

Evangelical  Alliance,  319 

Everest,  Charles  William,  360 

Fields,  James  T.,  257 
Fields,  Mrs.  Annie,  243 
"Fifty-Two  Memory  Hymns,"  158 
Finney,  Charles  G.,  65,  118 
Fort  McHenry,  Bombardment  of,  136 
Franklin,  Benjamin,  30 
Fuguing  Psalm  Singer,  92 
Furness,  William  Henry,  286 

Gannett/E.  C.,  381 

Garrison,  William  Lloyd,  229 

Gates,  Ellen  Huntington,  401,  402 

Gilmore,  Joseph  Henry,  367,  368 

Gladden,  Washington,  370,  371,  372 

Glover,  Joseph,  18 

Gospel  Hymns  and  Sacred  Songs,  394 

Gospel  Singers,  393 

Gospel  Song,  The,  393 

Green,  Joseph,  95 

Greenwood,  F.  W.  P.,  126,  127 

Hamilton  College,  390 

Hartford  Selection  of  Hymns,  107,  108,  109,  111 
Harvard  College,  17,  49,  197,  203 

416 


GENERAL  INDEX 

Harvard  Divinity  School,  153 

Hastings,  Thomas,  119,  159,  161,  162,  164,  165,  265,  283 

Havergal,  Frances  Ridley,  352 

Haverhill  Academy,  228 

Hawks,  Annie  Sherwood,  397,  398,  399 

Hayes,  Mrs.  R.  B.,  397 

"Haystack  Meeting,"  209 

Hobart,  Bishop,  175 

Holden,  Oliver,  130,  131,  132,  133 

Hollis  Street  Church,  49,  141 

Holmes,  Oliver  Wendell,  156,  197,  199,  201,  203,  204,  205, 

207,  208 

Holmes,  Oliver  Wendell,  Jr.,  201 
Hopkinson,  Francis,  88,  99 
Hopper,  Edward,  365,  366 
Horder,  W.  Garrett,  140,  312 
Hosmer,  Frederick  Lucian,  379,  380 
Howe,  Dr.,  253 

Howe,  Julia  Ward,  251,  252,  253,  255,  256,  257,  261 
"Human  composure,"  early  hymns  of,  81 
Hunter,  William,  359 
Hyde,  Abigail  Bradley,  184,  185,  186 
"Hymn  for  the  Class  Meeting,"  203 
"Hymn  of  Trust,"  205 
"Hymn  to  Joy,"  386 
Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern,  316,  360 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs,  58 
Hymns  of  the  Church  Militant,  306 
Hymns  of  the  Spirit,  337 

Independent,  New  York,  373 

Indians,  Christian,  52,  55 

Institution  for  the  Blind,  New  York,  346 

Jackson,  S.  Trevena,  352 
"Jesu,  dulcis  memoria,"  269 
John  Carter  Brown  Library,  24 
John  Street  Church,  347 
Johns  Hopkins  University,  373 
Johnson,  Samuel,  341,  343 
Jones,  F.  A.,  316 
Judson,  Adoniram,  280 
Julian,  Dr.,  344 

41? 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Key,  Francis  Scott,  134,  135,  136,  137,  138,  139,  140,  170 
King's  Chapel,  95,  126 
Kipling,  Rudyard,  259 
Klemm,  Gottlob,  97 

Lathbury,  Mary  Artemisia,  308,  309,  310,  312,  313 

Leavitt,  Joshua,  118,  119,  161 

Leland,  John,  128,  129 

"Liberal  Faith,"  hymns  of  the,  125,  126 

"Life's  Billows,"  223 

Lincoln,  President,  258,  402,  403 

Lindsay,  Maggie,  406 

Lisbon  earthquake,  43 

Longfellow,  H.  W.,  335,  339 

Longfellow,  Samuel,  335,  336,  337,  339,  340 

Lowry,  Robert,  364,  398,  399,  400,  401 

Lutheran  Church,  166 

Lyon,  James,  88 

Lyon,  Richard,  24 

Macaulay,  62 

Madison,  President,  136 

Malan,  Caesar,  226 

March,  Daniel,  363 

Mason,  Lowell,  119,  161,  265,  276 

Mather,  Cotton,  95 

Mather,  Richard,  17,  19,  20,  74 

Mayflower,  15,  74 

Methodists,  early,  and  church  music,  102,  103,  124,  125 

Methodist  Episcopal  Hymnal,  192,  196,  392 

Methodist  Episcopal  Writers,  407 

"Miles  Lane,"  132 

Miller,  Emily  Huntington,  314,  316 

"Minden,"  United  States  Cartel  Ship,  136 

Missions,  early  Hymns  on,  117,  210 

"Monthly  Concerts,"  212,  213 

Moody  and  Sankey,  350,  394,  406,  409,  410 

Moore,  Thomas,  163,  175 

Moravians,  early,  and  Church  music,  102 

Morgan,  G.  Campbell,  311 

Muhlenberg,  William  Augustus,  166,  167,  168,  169,  170, 

171,  172,  173,  174,  175 
Musical  Instruments,  early,  94 

418 


GENERAL  INDEX 

Musical  Society  of  Stoughton,  131 
McCabe,  Chaplain,  257,  258,  259 
McDonald,  William,  408 
McKinley,  William,  234 

National  Era,  232 
Nettleton,  Asahel,  114,  115,  117 
New  England  and  Other  Poems,  144 
New  Haven,  Connecticut,  211 
Nicholson,  Judge,  137 
Nicoll,  Sir  W.  Robertson,  261 
North,  Frank  Mason,  382,  383 
North  American  Review,  188 
Northampton,  church  singing,  81 
Northfield,  352 
Nutter,  C.  S.,  364 

Occom,  Samson,  52,  53,  54,  55 
"Olivet,"  Tune,  266 
Onderdonk,  Dr.,  170 
Organs,  early,  95,  96,  97,  98,  99 
"Ortonville,"  Tune,  162 

Palmer,  Gershum,  67,  68 

Palmer,  H.  R.,  410 

Palmer,  Ray,  262,  264,  266,  268,  269,  270,  271,  272,  274, 

370 

Palmer,  William,  262 
Parker,  Theodore,  253 
Parkinson,  William,  66,  123,  129 
Parliament  of  Religions,  314 
Payson,  Edward,  353 
Phelps,  Elizabeth  Stuart,  200,  250 
Phelps,  Sylvanus  Dryden,  364 
Philadelphia,  98,  99,  143,  144,  167,  215,  216 
Phillips,  Philip,  393,  394,  402,  403 
Phillips,  Wendell,  254 
Pierpont,  John,  140,  141 
"Pitchpipes,"  100 
Plymouth,  16 

Prentiss,  Elizabeth,  353,  354,  357 
Presbyterians,  early,  and  Church  music,  98,  100 
Prince,  Thomas,  27 

419 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

Princeton  University,  385 

Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  151,  167 

Providence,  organ  in  Congregational  Church,  96 

Psalm-singing,  74,  77 

Psalm-tunes,  75 

Psalms  and  Hymns  for  Christian  Worship,  126 

Puritans,  The,  16,  61 

"Puritan  War  Song,"  201 

Quakers,  98,  229,  234,  236 
Quarles,  Frances,  20 

Recollections  of  a  Long  Life,  168 
Redner,  Lewis  H.,  331 
Religious  Poems,  355 
Reminiscences,  by  Mrs.  Howe,  256 
"Rescue  the  Perishing,"  349 
"Retreat,"  The  tune,  162 
Richards,  George,  71,  72 
Rippon's  Hymn  Book,  46,  47 
Robinson,  Charles  S.,  130,  165 
Rochester  University,  368 
Root,  George  F.,  347 

"St.  Louis,"  Tune,  332 
Saint  Luke's  Hospital,  168 
Saint  Mary's  Hall,  150 
Saint  Paul's  College,  167 
Sakonnet  Point,  262 
Salem,  23 

Sankey,  Ira  D.,  408 
Say  and  Seal,  305 
"Schuylkill  Hymn,"  59 
Scott,  Thomas,  71 

Sears,  Edmund  Hamilton,  153,  154,  156 
"Seed-Time  and  Harvest,"  232 
Select  Harmony,  112 
Selections  of  Hymns,  66 
Separatists,  The,  15,  16 
Sewall,  Henry  D.,  190 
Sewall,  Samuel,  84 
Shepard,  Thomas,  21 
Shurtleff,  Earnest  Warburton,  378 

420 


GENERAL  INDEX 

"Singing  by  Rule,"  79 

Singing  Schools,  82,  83 

Skinner,  Colonel,  136 

Slade,  Mary  D.  C.,  366 

Smith  College,  261 

Smith,  Joshua,  120 

Smith,  Samuel  F.,  203,  268,  275,  276,  277,  278,  279,  280, 

281,  282,  284 
Songs  by  the  Way,  149 
Spiritual  Songs,  267 
Spiritual  Songs,  etc.,  161 
Spiritual  Songs  for  Social  Worship,  119 
"Star  Spangled  Banner,"  134 
Stepping  Heavenward,  354 
Sternhold  and  Hopkins,  16 
Stockton,  John  Hart,  407 
Stockton,  Thomas  H.,  218 
Story  of  Ninety-Four  Years,  352 
Stow,  Baron,  284 
Stowe,  Harriet  Beecher,  92,  200,  204,  243,  244,  247,  249, 

250 

Strong,  Nathan,  35,  66,  107,  108,  109,  110,  111 
Stryker,  Melancthon  Woolsey,  390 
Student  Volunteer  Movement,  213 
Survey,  207 
Symmes,  Thomas,  78,  79 

Taney,  Roger  B.,  138 
Tappan,  William  Bingham,  143,  146 
Tate  and  Brady,  29 
Taylor,  William  M.,  268 
"Thanatopsis,"  188 
"The  Brewing  of  Soma,"  238 
The  Christian  Lyre,  118,  119,  158,  161 
The  Columbiad,  34 
The  Conquest  of  Canaan,  36 
The  Great  Awakening,  82 
The  grounds  and  rules  of  musick,  by  Walter,  78 
The  Hymnal,  Presbyterian,  388 
The  Little  Corporal,  315 
"The  Missionary's  Death,"  212 
"The  Missionary's  Farewell,"  282 
The  Mother's  Hymn  Book,  165 

421 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

The  New  England  Psalm  Singer,  87 

The  Professor  at  the  Breakfast  Table,  205,  206 

The  Psalmist,  284 

The  Reasonableness  of  Regular  Singing,  78 

"The  Song  of  a  Tired  Servant,"  306 

The  Thought  of  God  in  Hymns  and  Poems,  380 

"There's  music  in  the  air,"  347 

Thomson,  Mary  Ann,  366 

"Toplady,"  Tune,  162 

Trinity  College,  148 

Trinity  Church,  Boston,  148 

Tufts,  John,  26 

"Twilight  Hymn,"  180 

Tyng,  Dudley  A.,  216 

Tyng,  Stephen  H.,  216 

Union  College,  148,  153 

Unitarian  Hymn  Books,  336 

Unitarian  Writers,  70,  126,  287 

United  States  Military  Academy,  305 

Universalists,  71 

University  of  Pennsylvania,  387 

Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,  243 

Van  Alstyne,  Frances  Crosby,  347 
Van  Dyke,  Henry,  385,  386 
Village  Hymns,  114,  146,  181,  185,  210 
Vincent,  John  H.,  309,  310,  311,  395,  397 

Walter,  Thomas,  76,  78 

Ware,  Henry,  Jr.,  287,  288,  289,  290 

Warner,  Anna  Bartlett,  305 

Warner,  Susan,  305 

Warren,  Bishop,  158 

Washington,  George,  46,  131 

"Watchwords:  A  Hymn  for  the  Times,"  322 

Waterbury,  Jared  Bell,  158 

Waterston,  R.  C.,  194 

Watts,  Isaac,  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs,  29;  "accom- 
modated," 31;  hymns  introduced  into  America,  81,  82, 
106,  112,  113,  116,  189,  200,  201 

"Watts  and  Select,"  113 

Wayfaring  Hymns,  306 

422 


GENERAL  INDEX 

Webster,  Joseph  P.,  404 

Welde,  Thomas,  17 

Wesley,  Charles,  43,  62,  63,  106,  116,  117,  201 

Wesley,  John,  103 

Wesley,  Samuel,  16 

Wesleyan  University,  382 

WTest,  Dr.,  76 

Western  Recorder,  160 

Wheelock,  Eleazar,  52 

White,  Bishop,  103,  170,  174 

Whitefield,  George,  53 

Whittier,  John  Greenleaf,  227,  228,  229,  230,  231,  233, 

234,  235,  236,  237,  300 
Whittle,  D.  W.,  394,  395,  396 
"Wicked  Polly,"  68 
Willard,  Frances  E.,  309 
Williams  College,  280,  370 
Winchester,  C.  T.,  383 
Winslow,  Governor,  74 
Wolcott,  Samuel,  361,  362 
Woolsey,  President,  320 
Worcester,  Samuel,  111,  112,  113 
World's  Columbian  Exposition,  131 

Yale  College,  52,  107,  115,  211,  213,  263 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  216,  217 

"Zion,"  Tune,  162 


423 


INDEX  OF  HYMNS 

PAGE 

Absurd  and  vain  attempt,  to  bind 71 

Again  as  evening's  shadow  falls 337 

Ah,  lovely  appearance  of  death ! 62 

Almighty  Lord,  with  one  accord 390 

Almighty  Sovereign  of  the  skies 110 

Almost  persuaded 396 

Amazing  sight,  the  Saviour  stands 58 

Ancient  of  Days,  who  sittest  throned  in  glory 334 

And  canst  thou,  sinner,  slight 185 

Arise,  all  souls,  arise!  the  watch  is  past 310 

Arise  and  shine  in  youth  immortal 309 

Around  the  throne  of  God 290 

As  by  the  streams  of  babylon 27 

As  o'er  his  furrowed  fields  which  lie 233 

As  shadows  cast  by  cloud  and  sun 196 

Awake,  my  soul,  to  sound  his  praise 32 

Beneath  the  shadow  of  the  cross 336 

Be  strong!  we  are  not  here  to  play 374 

Break  thou  the  bread  of  life 311 

Brethren,  I  am  come  again 129 

But  flowing  tears  cannot  suffice 71 

Calm  on  the  listening  ear  of  night 154 

Christ  for  the  world  we  sing 362 

Christ's  life  our  code,  his  cross  our  creed 392 

Christ's  soldiers  do  eat  Christlike  bread 121 

Christians,  if  your  hearts  are  warm 129 

City  of  God,  how  broad  and  far 342 

Come,  every  soul  by  sin  oppressed 407 

Come,  Holy  Ghost,  in  love 271 

Come,  let  us  now  forget  our  mirth 62 

Come  unto  me,  when  shadows  darkly  gather 298 

Day  is  dying  in  the  west 313 

Dear  Lord  and  Father  of  mankind 239 

Dear  Saviour,  if  these  lambs  should  stray 186 

Deem  not  that  they  are  blest  alone 191 

424 


INDEX  OF  HYMNS 

PAGE 

Earth,  with  its  dark  and  dreadful  ills 301 

Far  in  the  deep  where  darkness  dwells 66 

Father  of  mercies,  heavenly  Friend 202 

Father,  while  the  shadows  fall 316 

Fling  out  the  banner !  let  it  float 152 

Founded  on  thee,  our  only  Lord 284 

From  all  the  dark  places 367 

From  doubt  and  all  its  sullen  pain 391 

Gently,  Lord,  O  gently  lead  us 164 

Go  burn  the  chaff  in  endless  fire 66 

God  Almighty  and  All-seeing! 142 

God  of  my  life,  nigh  draws  the  day 133 

God  will  take  care  of  you,  be  not  afraid 348 

Go,  messenger  of  love,  and  bear 183 

Great  God  of  wonders !  All  thy  ways 47 

Hark,  the  voice  of  Jesus  calling 363 

Hail  to  the  brightness  of  Zion's  glad  morning! 163 

Hail  to  the  Sabbath  day! 296 

Hail,  ye  sighing  sons  of  sorrow 123 

He  leadeth  me !    O  blessed  thought 369 

Here  see  the  bread  of  life;  see  waters  flowing 163 

Hold  the  fort 396 

Holy  Spirit,  Truth  Divine 338 

How  beauteous  were  the  marks  divine 321 

How  great,  how  terrible  that  God 43 

I  am  coming  to  the  cross 408 

I  bless  thee,  Lord,  for  sorrows  sent 343 

I  cannot  think  of  them  as  dead 381 

If  you  cannot  on  the  ocean 402 

I  know  not  the  hour  when  my  Lord  will  come 396 

I  know  not  where  his  islands  lift 238 

I  look  to  thee  in  every  need 340 

I  love  thy  Kingdom,  Lord 38 

I  love  to  hear  the  story 315 

I  love  to  steal  awhile  away 180 

I  need  thee  every  hour 397 

I  would  not  live  alway;  I  ask  not  to  stay 171 

In  the  morning  I  will  raise 287 

In  the  silent  midnight  watches 322 

425 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

PAGE 

It  came  upon  the  midnight  clear 157 

It  is  not  death  to  die 226 

It  may  not  be  our  lot  to  wield 233 

Jesus  loves  even  me 397 

Jesus  loves  me,  this  I  know 305 

Jesus  master  O  discover 59 

Jesus  of  Nazareth  passeth  by 409 

Jesus,  Saviour,  pilot  me 365 

Jesus,  the  calm  that  fills  my  breast 382 

Jesus,  these  eyes  have  never  seen 273 

Jesus,  thou  divine  Companion 386 

Jesus,  thou  Joy  of  loving  hearts ! 269 

Jesus,  while  our  hearts  are  bleeding 165 

Joyful,  joyful,  we  adore  thee 386 

Kingdom  of  light!  whose  morning  star 314 

Lead  on,  O  King  Eternal 377 

Lead  us,  O  Father,  in  the  paths  of  peace 295 

Let  the  lower  lights  be  burning 396 

Let  tyrants  shake  their  iron  rods 89 

Lift  your  glad  voices  in  triumph  on  high 289 

Like  Noah's  weary  dove 173 

Look  from  the  sphere  of  endless  day 193 

Lord,  I  am  thine,  entirely  thine 48 

Lord  of  all  being,  throned  afar 206 

Lord,  with  glowing  heart  I'd  praise  thee 139 

Master,  the  tempest  is  raging! 411 

Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  glory  of  the  coming  of  the 

Lord 251 

More  love  to  thee,  O  Christ 358 

My  faith  looks  up  to  thee 266 

My  heavenly  home  is  bright  and  fair 359 

New  England's  Sabbath  day 94 

Now  on  land  and  sea  descending 337 

O  Bread  to  pilgrims  given 270 

O  brother  man !  fold  to  thy  heart  thy  brother 230 

O  Christ,  what  gracious  words 72 

O  come  in  the  power  of  thy  life-giving  word 289 

426 


INDEX  OF  HYMNS 

PAGE 

O  deem  not  that  earth's  crowning  bliss 295 

O  God,  beneath  thy  guiding  hand 214 

O  little  town  of  Bethlehem 332 

O  Lord  and  Master  of  us  all ! 236 

O  Lord  of  Hosts!    Almighty  King! 202 

O  Lord,  our  God,  thy  mighty  hand 386 

O  Lord,  thy  work  revive 182 

O  Love  Divine,  that  stooped  to  share 205 

O  Master,  let  me  walk  with  thec 372 

O  safe  to  the  Rock  that  is  higher  than  1 409 

O  say!  can  you  see,  by  the  dawn's  early  light 134 

O  Shepherd  of  the  Nameless  Fold 310 

O  Thou,  in  all  thy  might  so  far 380 

O  Thou,  to  whom  in  ancient  time 141 

O  where  are  kings  and  empires  now 319 

O  young  people,  hark  while  I  relate 68 

O  Zion,  haste,  thy  mission  high  fulfilling 367 

One  more  day's  work  for  Jesus 306 

One  sweetly  solemn  thought 303 

Our  father's  God,  to  thee  we  raise 392 

Our  prayers  accept;  our  sins  forgive 208 

Out  of  a  window  Sisera 24 

Press  close,  my  child,  to  me 356 

Pull  for  the  shore 396 

Rescue  the  perishing 350 

Rest  in  the  Lord,  my  soul 375 

Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus 350 

Saviour,  sprinkle  many  nations 323 

Saviour!  thy  dying  love 365 

Saviour,  who  thy  flocks  art  feeding 174 

Shall  we  gather  at  the  river 400 

Shout  the  glad  tidings,  exultingly  sing 175 

Sister,  thou  wast  mild  and  lovely 284 

Softly  fades  the  twilight  ray 283 

Softly  now  the  light  of  day 149 

Soldiers  of  the  cross,  arise! 158 

Some  day  the  silver  cord  will  break 353 

Stand  up  for  Jesus!  Strengthened  by  his  hand 219 

Stand  up,  stand  up  for  Jesus ! 220 

Still,  still  with  thee,  when  purple  morning  breaketh.  245 

427 


STORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  HYMN 

PAGE 

Still   will   we   trust   though   earth   seem   dark   and 

dreary 294 

Swell  the  anthem,  raise  the  song 110 

Take  me,  O  my  Father,  take  me 272 

"Take  up  thy  cross,"  the  Saviour  said 361 

That  darling  sin  I  did  commit 122 

That  mystic  word  of  thine,  O  sovereign  Lord 247 

That  one  unquestioned  text  we  read 205 

The  day  is  past  and  gone 129 

The  earth  has  grown  cold  with  its  burden  of  care .  .  .  327 

The  light  of  God  is  falling 388 

The  Light  of  the  World  is  Jesus 396 

The  Lord  to  mee  a  shepheard  is 22 

The  morning  light  is  breaking 281 

The  past   comes   round    again 239 

The  ransomed  spirit  to  her  home 146 

The  rivers  on  of  Babilon 21 

The  summer  harvest  spreads  the  field 109 

The  tree  of  life  my  soul  hath  seen 122 

Then  let  every  heart  keep  its  Christmas  within 327 

There  is  a  gate  that  stands  ajar 406 

There  is  an  hour  of  peaceful  rest 145 

There's  a  land  that  is  fairer  than  day 404 

They  who  seek  the  throne  of  grace 133 

Thou  art  the  Way:  to  thee  alone 151 

Thou  Gracious  Power,  whose  mercy  lends 204 

Though  now  the  nations  sit  beneath 213 

Thou,  whose  unmeasured  temple  stands 192 

Thus  we  have  marched  the  ark  around 121 

'Tis  midnight,  and  on  Olives'  brow 146 

To-day  the  Saviour  calls 283 

To  Him  whose  wisdom  deigned  to  plan 190 

Tomb,  thou  shalt  not  hold  him  longer 328 

Tossed  upon  life's  raging  billow 223 

Wak'd  by  the  gospel's  joyful  sound 56 

We  are  going,  we  are  going 347 

We  are  living — we  are  dwelling 322 

Weep  not  for  the  saint  that  ascends 212 

We  would  see  Jesus:  for  the  shadows  lengthen 307 

When,  fir'd  to  rage,  against  our  nation  rose 

When  grief  and  anguish  press  me  down 184 

428 


INDEX  OF  HYMNS 

PAGE 

When  on  my  day  of  life  the  night  is  falling 241 

When  the  great  sun  sinks  to  his  rest 376 

When  time  seems  short  and  death  is  near 225 

When  wild  confusion  wrecks  the  air 51 

When  winds  are  raging  o'er  the  upper  ocean 249 

Where  are  you  going,  soldiers? 201 

Where  cross  the  crowded  ways  of  life 384 

Where  shall  a  guilty  child  retire? 67 

While  o'er  our  guilty  land,  O  Lord 45 

Who  among  men,  high  Lord  of  all 126 

Who  can  behold  the  blazing  light? 50 

Whosoever  heareth,  shout,  shout  the  sound 396 

Yes,  my  native  land,  I  love  thee 282 

Yes,  when  the  toilsome  day  is  gone 180 


4^29 


C-2, 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


• 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


50m-10,'65(F782488)9482 


A     001  030  066     3 


